Living in the suburbs of Chicago, I have a lot of commuting men and women in my life. Many of them have early departures and return home late in the evenings. Many have also reported that they were negatively affected -at the workplace and at home - by their commutes.
ANNABEL HUBER
Industrial Designer + Ceramicist
AARDEN
Small Space Composting - Spring 2021
Composting is a complex chemical process which turns organic material into usable, high nutrient supplement for gardens.
It prevents organic material from improperly disposing in landfills (anaerobically) which emits harmful green house gases. It is an incredibly important process, but is not common practice.
36% of landfill waste, or 55 million tons, is organic compostable material.
Many urban-dwelling young adults do not have the time, space, or knowledge to commit to traditional composting (Statista, 2017).
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Based on my survey of college-age students and young adults (age 18 - 26), 33% had composted before but don’t currently due to location and time, and 45% have never composted before, but were open to the idea of composting.
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How can I get young, urban dwelling adults to compost their food scraps?
Electric kitchen composting is the perfect solution for urban dwellers who want something simple-to-use, odorless, and compact with a quick turn-around. Electric composting takes around 48 hours, whereas traditional composting can take up to 6 months to a year.
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Electric composting doesn't create traditional compost, but it acts very similarly. It results in a fine powder substance that is high in nutrients and can be added directly to soil in gardens or houseplants.
Charcoal Filter
Motion
Sensor
Chamber 1
Chamber 2
Compost Caddy
Food
Receptacle
Charcoal Filter prevents odors from emitting from scrap receptacle
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Scrap Receptacle allows for food scrap storage while composting is in process
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Chamber 1 heats food scraps to a temp of 106°F in order to kill pathogens and sterilize material
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Chamber 2 grinds contents into powder-like high nutrient particles
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Compost Caddy allows for easy distribution of the cooled compost material into your garden
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Injection Molded Polyethylene, Hot Rolled and Annealed Stainless Steel, Galvanized Steel, Activated Charcoal