Case Study: Food Cycle Community Compost Program

At the end of 2023, Solana Center made the difficult decision to end the Food Cycle Community Compost program. With the rollout of curbside green recycling bins, we had seen a steady participation decline, and continuing the program was no longer sustainable for our organization. We are so grateful for all of the residents and…

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Compost Bin Discounts and Vouchers

Looking to start composting at home? Many jurisdictions throughout the San Diego region offer discount programs for their residents. Your eligibility for discounted bins will depend on what jurisdiction you live in. It is important to check your exact address, because you may not necessarily live in the city listed in your address, e.g. a Vista address…

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The Benefits of Diverting Organic Waste from Landfills

Written by volunteer: Kate Sheppard Diverting waste from landfill can sometimes feel like a chore, but the benefits far outweigh the temporary annoyance of getting your hands dirty. This is especially true of organic waste. Yes, it may occasionally be sticky or smelly, but it’s not hard to properly sort and divert these compostable materials…

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Learnings from a Master Composter Course

These observations were originally shared by Kaitlin Mitchell of Rutabega Education and have been edited for cohesiveness. Solana Center’s Master Composter courses are a unique opportunity to gain a more in-depth understanding of the art and science of the composting process and empower participants to share this knowledge and passion with others. One participant in…

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From the Rotline: How Long Until My Compost Is Ready To Use?

Rotline Question: How long will it take until my compost is ready to be used? Answer: The timeline for composting depends on a number of factors. There are three basic approaches to composting which can be mixed and matched based on resources available and the composter’s goals. They are passive composting, active composting, and hot…

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How to Save Your Worm Bins From Aggressive Ants

How do you save your worm bins from aggressive ants? To find the answer, we asked our summer college interns, Maddie and Kelly, to investigate. The worm bins at Solana Center recently experienced an increase in ant populations, possibly due to the decomposing food source and the moisture the bins provided. Although most species of ants will not harm…

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From the Rotline: Why are my worms trying to escape?!

Question: Why are my worms climbing out of the bin and trying to escape? Answer: The Great Escape by your worms means there is an imbalance in the worm bin.  If your bin becomes too acidic, too moist, too dry, too compact, full of rotting food, full of food they don’t like, too warm, too…

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What is an Aerated Static Pile (ASP)?

Solana Center employee hosting community event on composting

Have you seen us mention ASP compost before and wondering what it means? ASP stands for aerated static pile which is a powerful system that uses large pipes to circulate air from fans through the pile, eliminating the need to physically aerate the composting organic material. This system can manage large quantities of waste and makes it particularly suitable…

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Construya Su Propio Recipiente de Malla

El recipiente de malla galvanizada es una solución económica para el abono. Se puede construir por menos de $20 y es fácil para mantener. Para mezclar el abono, simplemente deshaga el recipiente y muévalo al lado del material; luego vierta el abono en el recipiente en su nuevo lugar.  Materiales Necesarios  10 pies de media…

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