Glossary of Vermiculture Terms
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AERATION: Adding air to a compost pile through turning or ventilation
to allow increased microbial action and decomposition.
AEROBIC COMPOSTING: A method of com-posting organic
wastes using bacteria that need oxygen. This requires that the waste
be exposed
to
air, either
via turning or by forcing air through pipes that pass through the material.
ANAEROBIC: Living or active in the absence of free oxygen. In a compost
bin decay speeds up with the introduction of air and water.
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION: Controlled biological decomposition of organic
material in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas and a partially stabilized
organic material.
BACTERIA: Microorganisms that break down organic materials in the first
stages of composting. It is bacteria that generate the heat associated
with hot composting. The three types of bacteria are psychrophilic, mesophilic,
and thermophilic.
BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL: Any organic material that
can be broken down by microorganisms into simpler, more stable com-pounds.
Most
organic
wastes (e.g., food, paper) are biodegradable.
BIOFILTERS: One of the technologies applied for bioremediation, a process
by which unwanted substances are broken down and removed from air, soil,
water and raw materials for industrial processing. Biofiltration is the
process by which organic gases are cleaned by passing air through compost
or soil containing microorganisms capable of degrading the gases.
BIOGAS (LANDFILL GAS): By-product of anaerobic digestion. A saturated
gas consisting of approximately 55 to 70% methane, 25 to 35% carbon dioxide,
and trace amounts of nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide.
BIOMASS: Any organic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring
basis (excluding old-growth timber), including dedicated energy crops
and trees, agricultural food and feed crop residues, wood and wood wastes
and residues, aquatic plants, grasses, residues, fibers, and animal wastes,
municipal wastes, and other waste materials.
BIOREACTORS: Treatment of a contaminated substance in a large tank
containing organisms or enzymes.
BIOSOLIDS: 1. A nutrient rich, organic byproduct of the wastewater
treatment process. 2. Old term used was "Sludge". It is the
waste material from animal or vegetable sources. Waste contains mainly
carbon and hydrogen.
CASTINGS: Worm manure.
COMPOST: Completely decayed organic matter. It is dark, odorless, and
rich in nutrients.
COMPOSTING: 1. Controlled biological decomposition of organic
material in the presence of oxygen to produce a stable, pathogen-free,
humus-like
material called compost.
COLD COMPOSTING/COLD PILE: When less attention is given to providing
and maintaining optimum condition for compost piles, the resulting
environment that will attract psychrophilic bacteria but not thermophilic
bacteria.
As the psychrophilic bacteria work the compost pile will reach
about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the slow method of creating compost
from a backyard pile and can take as long as 6 months to 2 years
to create
compost. However, there is little maintenance other than occasionally
turning the pile. This type of compost requires the least effort.
COMPOST TEA: Residual liquid from the composting process. In outdoor
compost piles or bins this leaches into the ground. Vermicomposters allow
this liquid to be collected, refined, and sold as a valuable liquid fertilizer.
CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS:
Waste generated by construction and demolition of buildings, such as
bricks,
concrete,
drywall,
lumber,
miscellaneous metal parts and sheets, packaging materials, etc.
CURBSIDE PROGRAM: The collection of solid waste, recyclables, or other
materials placed in front of the property (curbside) by the generator,
who then returns the containers to their normal location after they
have been emptied. Curbside collection is generally used in the collection
of residential solid wastes, source-separated recyclables, and organic
materials or other materials. It is not normally used in commercial,
institutional, or industrial solid waste collection.
DECOMPOSITION: The breakdown of organic matter through microbial action.
DIVERSION: A term used to describe the act of inverting one or more
designated materials from a solid waste stream. Diversion typically
occurs at the
point of generation but can also occur at waste transfer and processing
facilities. The objective of diversion is to market materials for
productive use and hence prevent these materials from being landfilled
or otherwise
permanently disposed.
DIGESTER: Tank used to contain biosolids during the anaerobic digestion
process.
FEEDSTOCK: Any raw organic material
used to feed worms, including the bedding in which worms live in a vermicompost
bin or other
system. Examples include soil, manure, coir (coconut fiber),
peat moss, straw,
leaves,
or shredded paper. Worms can be fed any organic material, depending
on the scale of the system. Examples include eggshells, coffee
and tea grounds,
fruit and vegetable leavings, plant clippings, paper food packaging,
and waste paper. Dairy products, meat, fat, oils, human and pet manures
tend to attract unwanted organisms and are usually excluded as feedstock,
although they can be used in specifically designed systems. Cereal products
are often marketed as worm fatteners. Be careful when adding bread to
a worm bin, as the yeast in bread can significantly increase the bedding
temperature and result in a massive worm meltdown or mass worm exodus
from the bin.
FERMENTATION: Fermentation can be either
aerobic or anaerobic. Aerobic fermentation is composting. Successful
anaerobic fermentation occurs
when organic compounds in vegetable and animal wastes are broken down
by the action of living anaerobic organisms. This is accomplished by
the combination of organic wastes with a fermentable carbohydrate source
such as sugar, whey, molasses, or ground corn. Lactic-acid-forming anaerobic
bacteria ferment the carbohydrate source and preserve nutrients. Pathogenic
microorganisms, associated with the wastes, are effectively inactivated
during the fermentation process. This makes the fermented material safe
for application in agriculture.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation for a detailed description
of various forms of fermentation.
FOOD WASTE, COMMERCIAL PROCESSING: Source separated food residuals produced
from commercial food processing facilities. This material may consist
of fruits, vegetables, grains, fish and animal byproducts, and soiled
paper unsuitable for recycling.
FOOD WASTE, PRODUCE: Source separated food residuals generated at supermarkets.
This material consists of food scraps and out of code items from produce,
bakery, deli, prepared foods, and other departments. The material collected
may include fruits, vegetables, grains, food scraps, waxed cardboard,
wood, meat/seafood, and soiled paper unsuitable for recycling.
FOOD WASTE, RESTAURANT/INSTITUTION: Source separated material produced
from human food preparation and consumption activities at restaurants,
cafeterias, or dining halls. This material consists of fruits, vegetables,
grains, food scraps, and soiled paper unsuitable for recycling.
FOOD WASTE RESIDUALS: This term refers to restaurant/institution food
waste, produce food waste, and food waste from commercial processing.
GREEN WASTE: Vegetation waste left over from maintaining gardens and
parks.
GROUNDWATER: Water beneath the earth's surface that fills
underground pockets (known as aquifers), supplying wells and springs.
HAZARDOUS WASTE: waste that is reactive, toxic, corrosive,
or otherwise dangerous to living things and/or the environment. Many
industrial by-products are hazardous.
HEAVY METALS: Metals of high atomic weight and density, such as mercury,
lead, and cadmium, that are toxic to living organisms.
HOT COMPOSTING (HOT PILE): Optimum conditions for compost piles, including
30:1carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, 1” or smaller particles of various
sizes and textures, moisture, air, volume of 3 cubic feet, produce
an environment that will attract psychrophilic, mesophilic, and then
hemophilic
bacteria. As the thermophilic bacteria work the compost pile will
reach as high as 170 degrees F. This is the fastest method of creating
compost
from a backyard pile and can take as little as 3 weeks if the pile
is monitored and turned each time the temperature starts to fall.
HUMUS: The end product of composting, also called compost.
INCINERATION: The process of burning solid
waste under controlled conditions to reduce its weight and volume, and
often
to produce
energy.
INORGANIC WASTE: Waste composed of material other than
plant or animal matter, such as sand, dust, glass, and many synthetics.
INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT: The complementary use of a variety of
practices to handle municipal solid waste safely and effectively. Integrated
waste
management techniques include source reduction, recycling, composting,
combustion, and landfilling.
LANDFILL: Term for a garbage dump which is located in a cavity in
the ground so that, when full, it may be covered up and look like part
of the land. Today’s landfills are sanitary and require special
technology to eliminate the methane gas and toxic leachate produced by
the garbage.
MEDICAL WASTE: Generally defined as any solid waste that is generated
in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals,
in research pertaining thereto, or in the production or testing of biologicals.
MICROORGANISM: These are microscopic plants and animals. They exist
in the soil for the purpose of breaking down organic matter into basic
mineral
elements (see mineralization). They include bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes,
algae, protozoa, yeast, germs, ground pearls, and nematodes.
MUNICIPAL LANDFILL: Piece of land where household waste and/or treated
domestic sewage biosolids are disposed.
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE: All solid waste generated
in an area except industrial and agricultural wastes. Sometimes includes
construction
and
demolition
debris and other special wastes that may enter the municipal waste stream.
Generally excludes hazardous wastes except to the extent that they enter
the municipal waste stream. Sometimes defined to mean all solid wastes
that a city authority accepts responsibility for managing in some way.
N-P-K: An abbreviation for nitrogen (N), phosphorus
(P), and potassium (K). In the chemical philosophy, these three elements
are considered
important to force crop production (as opposed to the organic philosophy
goal of improving the biodiversity of the soil). US law requires that
the ratio of these three elements be specified on every bag of commercially-available
fertilizer. A ratio of 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 is considered good.
ON-SITE COMPOSTING: Composting done at the site where it is generated.
OFF-SITE COMPOSTING: Composting which is done away from the site where
it is generated.
ORGANIC: 1. Of or relating to or derived from living organisms. 2.
Organic also
refers to organic foods, or foods raised according to standards of organic
agriculture, including the use of crop rotation to control plant diseases
and pests and to allow rejuvenation of soil nutrients; additionally,
the use of nonsynthetic fertilizers such as to build soil structure and
microbial life as the basis for strong plants. Where necessary, nonsynthetic
pesticides may be used according to standards adopted by committees established
at the state and national levels to certify foods as “organic”.
3.
A fertilizer that is derived from vegetable or animal matter.
ORGANIC WASTE: Any waste material that was once alive. For the purposes
of vermicomposting, this usually excludes human waste, accept where a
composter is specially dedicated and monitored.
PATHOGEN: An organism including viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa
capable of producing an infection or disease in a susceptible host.
pH: A scale of 1-14, which expresses the relative
acidity or alkalinity of water in the soil. A pH of 7 is neutral, i.e.
neither more alkaline or more acidic. Values below 7 are acidic, increasingly
acidic towards 1. Values above 7 are alkaline, increasingly more alkaline
as the values increase towards 14. pH is the standard abbreviation for “potential
hydrogen”, which denotes the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution.
PSYCHROPHILIC BACTERIA: This group of bacteria species works to break
down organic matter under “cold conditions” of 0 to up to
over 55 degrees. They generate low levels of heat.
RECYCLABLES: Items that can
be reprocessed into feedstock for new products. Common examples are paper,
glass, aluminum,
corrugated cardboard, and plastic containers.
RECYCLING: The process of transforming materials into raw materials
for manufacturing new products, which may or may not be similar to the
original
product.
RENEWABLE ENERGY: A form of energy which is regenerative or virtually
inexhaustible. Typical examples are wind, geothermal, and water power.
Energy can also be generated from biomass fuels such as wood and forest
residues, animal manure and waste, grains, crops and aquatic plants.
SANITARY LANDFILL: A landfill permitted to accept household and commercial
waste (solid and liquid non-hazardous waste).
SOIL AMMENDMENT: Matter that, when added to the land, will make the
soil healthier by such means as balancing and adding nutrients, balancing
the pH, encouraging the process of microorganisms. From a legal standpoint
this is different than “fertilizer” and is not governed by
laws which regulate fertilizers.
SOURCE REDUCTION: As applied to solid waste, reducing the generation
of waste in the first place, as opposed to later reusing or recycling.
SOURCE SEPARATION: In homes or commercial operations waste is separated
into categories for recycling, composting, or landfilling. Source separation
refers to separating newspapers, glass, yard wastes, plastic bottles,
etc. into separate containers or piles for waste processing.
STABILIZATION: To convert to a form that resists change. In the waste
industry this term is used to refer to heavy metals, pathogens, nutrients,
and other substances present in organic waste which become inert and
unlikely to be taken up by plants or leached into the water table or
air.
THERMOPHILIC BACTERIA: This group of bacteria species
works to break down organic matter under “hot” conditions
of 104 degrees up to 170 degrees. This type of bacteria can perform the
greatest decomposition in the shortest period of time.
TIPPING FEE: A fee for unloading or dumping waste at a landfill,
transfer station, incinerator, or recycling facility.
TRANSFER STATION: A major facility at which MSW from
collection vehicles is consolidated into loads that are transported by
larger trucks
or
other means to more distant final disposal facilities, typically landfills.
VERMICAST: The nutrient –rich byproduct of earthworms, used as
a soil conditioner.
VERMICOMPOST: 1. The process by which earthworms digest organic matter.
2. The soil-like byproduct resulting from worms digesting organic matter,
which can in turn be applied to plants.
VERMICULTURE: The raising and production of earthworms and their byproducts.
WASTE REDUCTION: All means of reducing
the amount of waste that is produced initially and that must be collected
by solid
waste authorities. This ranges from legislation and product design to
local programs designed to keep recyclables and compostables out of the
final waste stream.
WASTE STREAM: The total flow of waste from a community,
region, or facility.
WASTE TO ENERGY (WTE): The conversion and recovery
of the energy value in waste materials through the application of high
temperature
and controlled combustion.
WINDROWS: Long, raised rows of organic material and dirt in which
worms feed. Windrows may be covered or covered, indoor or outdoor,
and are
associated with large-scale vermiculture.
WORM FARMING: Vermiculture.
WORM TEA: Liquid residual from a worm bin that can be made into
a liquid plant fertilizer.
YARD TRIMMINGS FACILITY: A facility where yard trimmings
are collected, diverted from the organic waste stream,
and composted
for use as
mulch.
YARD WASTE: Leaves, grass clippings, prunings, and other natural
organic matter discarded from yards and gardens.
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Terms included in the Glossary were adapted from the following sites:
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