Green Mountain Technologies, a provider of composting systems, has introduced a new in-vessel system focused on composting at the neighborhood-level.
The Earth Cube is a fully-enclosed composting system designed specifically for composting food waste. The standard Earth Cube features a natural aeration system and a portable mixing auger. In addition, the aeration system can be powered with an optional solar panel.
Van Calvez, GMT’s In-Vessel Systems Manager, says, “We saw a need for a less expensive composting vessel that would help communities and small organizations compost food waste locally. If you are in a rural area, you can sometimes get away with composting food waste in an open pile. But in urban and suburban environments, people are concerned about rats, bugs and odors. These are solvable problems. People just need the right tools and support. That’s why we created the Earth Cube.”
The Earth Cube is designed to prevent animals and bugs from accessing the compost while providing favorable conditions for hot composting of the food waste. The Earth Cube provides tools for odor control and elimination of pathogens and weed seeds. The 1.4-yard capacity Earth Cube can receive up to 50 lbs. of material per day.
Says Calvez, “The Earth Cube is for people who are passionate about caring for the planet. They understand that we need to relearn how to grow food within our local communities. The Earth Cube empowers communities to keep these vital nutrients in our local neighborhoods and gardens.”
The Earth Cube is the result of a year-long development effort. Green Mountain Technologies now has five demonstration systems installed around the country. An Earth Cube was most recently installed at The Nature Conservancy on Santa Cruz Island near Los Angeles. Jennifer Baker, Program Manager with the Nature Conservancy, said this about the Earth Cube system: “It's great. Very easy to ‘plug-and-play’. No spaces for animals or bugs to get in. I was surprised that, within less than 2 weeks from start-up, the compost was up to temperature and processing the food scraps effectively. Aside from the simple design, I really appreciated the training and detailed instructions, that really helped!”
