Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Steve Martin, of Columbia Compost, explains the compost-making process to DHS students
Steve Martin demonstrates the use of a front loader to stir compost at the Columbia Compost site on Eager Road north of Dayton. The pile he is stirring is approximately one month old, Martin said. The pile to the left is about two weeks old.
Martin discusses the compost-making process, as students listen intently. Martin's new red bagging machine is at left.
DAYTON – On Monday, ag students from Dayton High School took a quick trip to the Columbia Compost facility a mile north of Dayton, on Eager Road.
There, Steve Martin, Columbia Compost's owner-operator, explained to the students the process for turning yard waste into compost for use as a soil ammendment.
To begin with, he explained, yard waste must be ground up, so it's dense enough to allow bacteria to feed, but loose enough to allow oxygen to circulate. Then water must be added – not too little, and not too much.
Most years, rainwater is collected in a pond at the site and then is pumped to the pad where the ground-up yard waste is placed. This year, Martin said, he had to bring in tanks of water, due to lack of rainfall.
After the water is added, bacteria, naturally occurring in the air and the material, will begin to feed on the waste material.
Martin said that the material must be continually stirred, or turned, for 15 days. He does that with a front loader. As the bacteria do their thing, the temperature inside the pile of waste will rise to as high as 140 degrees.
"It's like a bunch of kids squirming around in a sleeping bag," he said.
After 15 days of being stirred, the material is allowed to sit for several months, as the bacteria continue to break down the material.
The Dayton students are planning a holiday project in which they will raise and then sell poinsettias. Martin was invited by ag instructor Kristina Knebel to help them create soil for the plants. As part of the project, he invited the students to come out and learn how the composting process works.
Martin started Columbia Compost in 1999. He obtained a grant for $70,000 and added $30,000 of his own funds to purchase equipment and prepare the composting site at the county-owned rock quarry on Eager Road. He has maintained a contract with the county since then to lease the site.
He also has a contract with the county to bring yard waste from county residents to the site. Those with yard waste to discard can take it directly to the Eager Road site on Saturday mornings from 9-11 a.m. Yard waste can also be brought to the county's transfer station in Dayton, from which it will be transported to the Columbia Compost site. There is a charge to drop waste at either site.
Martin sells bulk compost directly to customers, and also to City Lumber in Dayton, where it is available to purchase in bulk.
He also recently purchased a bagging machine, which he demonstrated to the students. He hopes to begin selling through other retail stores in much smaller quantities.
For more information on Columbia Compost, contact Steve Martin at stevemartin23@msn.com, or call him at (509) 386-4748.
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