Neighbor Profile: Compost for Brooklyn

Neighbor Kasia Nikhamina caught up with Louise Bruce, founder of the Compost for Brooklyn garden, located at Newkirk Avenue and East 8th Street. Louise’s enthusiasm for this project is absolutely infectious. Swing by the garden and catch the composting fever: Compost for Brooklyn is having a block party on Sunday, June 5th from 12 to 6pm. Music, workshops for all ages, a raffle, a bake sale to benefit the garden – details here.

KN: Tell me how the garden started!
LB: About a year ago, I was working for the New York City Parks Department, learning about ecological restoration. I had just moved to the neighborhood. Every day while walking my dog, I passed this vacant lot where garbage had accumulated over the years. Many invasive species of plants were growing there. I wanted to do something about it. I approached the owner, who was supportive of the project.

In May 2010, I gathered some volunteers. We built compost bins out of recycled palettes. It was challenging: everything had to be made from either a free or recycled resource There was a lot of concrete in the soil, which we had to remove. Then, in late July, we started collecting compost.

KN: Let’s go back to basics: what is compost? How do we make it?
LB: When we compost, we take advantage of the natural process of decomposition. We collect veggie and fruit scraps in a bin that’s secured against pests. (We exclude meat and dairy, and anything greasy.) We add browns – carbon-rich material, in our case, sawdust from Brooklyn Butcher Blocks, a local woodshop. We mix it all together, and give it air and water. This creates a happy environment for bacteria, which break down the material. The result is a rich natural fertilizer, which inoculates gardens against disease.

KN: How can people participate?
LB: It’s easy: just collect your food scraps throughout the week, and drop them off during open hours. Most people keep their scraps in a tupperware in the freezer or on the kitchen counter. If you can, chop up the scraps to increase the surface area. This speeds up decomposition.

KN: When is the garden open?
LB: In spring and summer, the garden is open on Thursdays (5 to 7pm), Saturdays (10 am to 12pm), and Sundays 2 to 5pm. You can drop off your food scraps and hang out in the garden, enjoying the greenery and chatting with neighbors.

KN: Who hosts drop-off hours?
LB: Volunteers! Most of them live in the neighborhood, but some people come from other parts of Brooklyn. Anyone can do it – we just ask you to attend a quick orientation. It’s fun to host with a friend.



KN: I’m always impressed by the kids who come to open hours.
LB: Kids love the garden. Every Thursday we collect organic waste in the lunchroom at P.S. 217. Kids actually eat extra fruit because they are so excited to put banana peels and apple cores into the buckets. One boy gets his allowance for dropping off his family’s compost on the weekends. To us, composting is this extra step we’re adding to our life, but these kids will grow up knowing that this is just what you do with organic waste.

KN: Are any local businesses composting?
LB: Qathra Café on Cortelyou sends over their coffee grinds and food scraps twice a week via a volunteer.

KN: What happens when the compost is ready?
LB: We sifted our first batch in February. (Thanks to Mark and Ben, volunteers who stuck it out with me in the cold!) This compost was born of the scraps dropped off between July and October 2010. We’re testing it on some plants to make sure it’s good – so far we’re happy with the results. We’d like to set up a give back system, so people who drop off waste can get some compost in return. We’ll use the compost on local tree pits and mini-gardens, to support native beneficial pollinators (bees and butterflies). And finally, we need the compost to amend the soil in the garden itself. We want to work with what we have, instead of bringing in new soil. It’s really satisfying to close the loop in this way.

KN: It sounds like this project was born out of your enthusiam and passion. What have you done to make this a sustainable community project?
LB: I used to think – if I go on vacation, what will happen with the garden? What’s been so amazing is that since day 1, people have been helping out, making this truly a neighborhood garden. We recently gained 501(c)(3) status, so we can fundraise and apply for grants.

You know, in the beginning, I was really focused on the environmental aspects of this project, but what excites me most is that friendships are forming over the compost bin. People are slowing down and engaging over this simple daily activity – garbage is no longer a chore.

KN: Louise, in case anyone is still skeptical: why compost?
LB: The other day, Kasia, you came into the garden, and said, “Trash doesn’t have to be dirty and gross,” and I’ve been thinking about that all week. It’s true: we can separate our recyclables and wash them, and we can bring organic waste to the garden and turn it into a useful resource. Waste can be clean, productive and beautiful – and that’s why you should compost.

Kasia Nikhamina is a writer who lives in the neighborhood; check out her creative blog, The Mayor’s Hotel.