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Physical Address:

4 Marsh Folly Road

Hamilton, HM 13

 

Telephone: 292-7454

Fax: 295-0042
Composting General Information  

What is Compost?

Compost is the result and act of combining organic materials under controlled conditions so that the original raw ingredients are transformed by decay and degradation into humus or compost.

Backyard Composting

Backyard composting is a process that allows you to turn some of your table scraps and yard waste into compost. This is done by a layering process so everything decays into fertile humus or new soil.

Composting at home reduces your personal volume of trash, reduces the amount of water needed in your garden, increases plant growth and replaces the need for harsh chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

It is a fun and simple activity that allows you to do something for the part of the Earth you live in everyday: your own backyard!

Backyard composters are available for purchase from Waste Management for $80.00. Call 278-0563 or email recycle@gov.bm to purchase an EarthMachine brand compost bin.

Commercial Composting

Large scale Windrow Composting takes place at Marsh Folly, Pembroke. This site is the former Pembroke dump that served all of Bermuda from 1949 until 1994.

 

A Crash Course in Composting  

A Crash Course in Composting

All composting “ingredients” generally fall under one of two categories: “browns” or “greens”. Browns are dry materials such as wood chips, dried leaves, grass and other plants. Greens are fresh, moist materials such as grass cuttings and food scraps (avoid meats, fats and grease).

Follow these 3 Easy Steps to Produce a Good Quality Soil Amendment for Your Garden:

  1. Collect as many browns and greens as you can to start your compost pile. Larger piles tend to hold moisture better and decompose faster.
  2. Place approximately equal amounts of browns and greens in a heap or bin. Always cover food scraps with other composting materials.
  3. Soak well with water to create uniform dampness (damp as a wrung-out sponge). Cover pile with tarp or lid to your bin to keep moisture in and prevent over soaking from rain.

For quicker composting (1-3 months)

  • Chop materials into smaller pieces and moisten
  • Alternate 3" to 6" layers of greens and browns
  • Mix the pile by turning and stirring
  • Soak the pile once a week

    • For slower composting (3-6 months plus)

  • Just keep adding materials to the pile or bin and sprinkling it with water. It's that simple!

    • Troubleshooting

  • Odors? Turn and add brown materials.
  • Dry pile? Add water, greens and mix.
  • Fruit Flies? Stir and add leaves or grass.
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    Marsh Folly Composting Facility  

    A Brief History of the 'Marsh Folly' Composting Facility

    Records in the Bermuda Archives reveal that it was not until the 1800’s that Bermuda even began to address its waste problems and it was, in fact, a public health issue rather than a garbage issue which prompted the earliest legislation. Although it is not well documented, it is believed that it was after the passage of the Public Health Act of 1949 that government began obtaining land around the Pembroke Marsh with an aim to establishing one central dumping site. Previous attempts to turn the site into a race track in the 1920’s had failed, because every time peat and rubble were added to the site it would sink down into the marsh. It was a result of the numerous efforts to unsuccessfully land fill the area that the site became known as the Marsh Folly!

    Today, the site is used as a commercial composting facility where horticultural waste and food scraps from restaurants and cruise ships are composted. Organic waste is formed into rows of long piles called "windrows" and aerated by turning the pile periodically by either manual or mechanical means.

    The ideal pile height, which is between 4 and 8 feet, allows for a pile large enough to generate sufficient heat and maintain temperatures, yet small enough to allow oxygen to flow to the windrow's core. The ideal pile width is between 14 and 16 feet. The end product is a soil amendment that has been used to restore the Marsh Folly site and that is also available to the public for horticultural practices.

    We are currently accepting between 60 to 80 tonnes of organic waste per day at the Marsh Folly Composting Facility.