Help Dr. Recycle Keep MUSC's Recycling Program Healthy

MUSC Home Page

Office of Recycling and Solid Waste Management 

---

Vermicomposting Resources

Picture display of how to make a worm bin

Instructions for taking care of worm bin

Working with the Worms

Regular Composting Resources

H2E 10 Step Guide to Composting in Healthcare Facilities

Power Point Presentation on Composting

Picture and copy from MUSC Catalyst.

What's the new plant on campus?         
Amaranthus is a tender annual native of India, the Philippines, and other warm climate areas, like Charleston. Its height ranges from 2 to 8 feet. The plant's leaves start out as green or dark red and change to bright yellow, orange or florescent pink at the tops. Adorning the plant are pretty tassels of long lasting flowers that may be wine red or chartreuse. It was planted in late May in front of the Basic Science Building and has sprung up to almost 5 feet. The Amaranthus was fertilized with nutrient-rich compost, the product of the recycled cafeteria waste. The compost is produced in a special recycling bin on campus, where thousands of worms work to transform MUSC's cafeteria waste into useful material which beautifies all the garden beds on campus. 

The Vermicompost Building

In-vessel Vermi-Organic Digester

footprint: 7’ x 18’ x 5’ with electric panel, motors, and hydraulic pack

contains blowers, A/C, and a tarp to hold in heat

requires 208-240 volts or 3 phase

capacity is 100-300 pounds of organics per day, potential 5 day a week use capacity 39 tons a year

 started by collecting fruit and vegetable waste from the hospital cafeteria August 99'

started with 250 pounds of worms

first castings were harvested in December 1999, 660 pounds

In our first fiscal year (99-00) of food recovery we composted 15,357 pounds of food waste from our main cafeteria.

Article in the Carolina Recycling Association Newsletter Rword Summer 2001 page 17.

New Compost System for Yardwaste January 2003

This system includes 4 (12' X 8' X 4') composting corrals.

Yardwaste including leaves, grass and dead plants are mixed in these corrals.  It will take a year to compost the yardwaste placed here.

UPDATE: February 2004 we are ready to take finished compost from the corrals and use it in the spring planting beds around campus.  The project has been very successful and we have been using the corrals to collect yardwaste all year.

UPDATE: April 2004 the grounds crew is going to take over management of the vermicomposting project.  The recycling crew was hit hard by cutbacks in labor.

Education Patient Care Research
About MUSC MUSC Library News & Events
Find a Person Info Technology Student Resources
Enrollment Services Emergency Info
Career Opportunities Alumni

MUSC Home Page

MUSC a-z Campus Map Search Site Map Webmaster