The Waters Garden composting bins are quite large and allow us to keep soil nutrients on-site.
In the past, some neighbors brought their compost to the bin, but this is no longer possible for many reasons. Here are links to two great composting services that many neighbors use: Block Bins and WasteNot Compost.
Here’s a link to one of our classic videos from about ten years ago, What a Waste, which focuses on reducing lunchroom waste. Here’s another short clip in which students show how they help to run the compost program at Waters.
Over the years, Pete Leki has been the coordinator of the Chicago Public Schools composting program. Teachers who volunteered to lead composting initiatives at their school joined annual cohorts of 10-15 to develop their expertise, learning from the example at Waters School. Pete Leki and Jules Peterson-Green also co-led Neighborspace composting workshops for community gardeners. Resources from these workshops are available below.
Compost Bin Construction Instructions (large, for school or community garden)
Compost Bin Construction Diagrams
