…one thousand trucks poured into the national park, offloading over 12,000 metric tons of sticky, mealy, orange compost onto the worn-out plot. The site was left untouched and largely unexamined for over a decade. A sign was placed to ensure future researchers could locate and study it.
16 years later, Janzen dispatched graduate student Timothy Treuer to look for the site where the food waste was dumped.
Treuer initially set out to locate the large placard that marked the plot — and failed.
There are two pictures of it “currently” (I use quotes because it is a republication of an 8 year old article). And neither one really shows what it looks like today.
But there is a lot of growth. Which makes me wonder why people say to not compost citrus peels.
When we bought our composter the group selling them had a seminar as part of the purchase to teach you how to compost and no citrus was one of the top things they said with no explanation even when asked. I also used to do layouts for children’s books and one was about composting and it reiterated this.
It’s because citrus at high concentrations kills earthworms. Citrus in compost in normal quantities relative to other compostables seems to be fine, but you shouldn’t be trying to compost a huge pile of just pulp and orange peels in your back yard.
As for why this worked here, I’m sure there are a whole lot of things that aren’t earthworms living in a formerly rainforested spot in Costa Rica which can break that stuff down over 15 years.
Citrus kills earthworms? Earthworms are invasive in North America…
Earthworms are invasive in parts of North America…
That was my reaction too! I read the headline and immediately thought “oh god they killed it didn’t they”. I was shocked to find out it was a resounding success, at least in comparison to the alternative of doing nothing.
It’s probably got something to do with local soil ecology or rainfall amounts, so there may still be some merit to not composting your orange peels, but this definitely makes me want to learn more about why this guidance is so heavily repeated.
I compost all my food scraps and leftovers from anything that I eat.
My personal experience is that normal food waste will not cause problems with your compost. Everything composts eventually.
Not only repeated, but blindly repeated.
A juice company-sponsored scientific article finds that juice company waste is good for the environment?
How could this be?
Historically, peer review has not been enough to weed out positive publication bias and outright fraud even when there was no profit motive. With a United Fruit Company/Dole-tier juice company breathing down your neck? Science… finds a way.
Rodents. Most people don’t compost properly - they leave out the cover material on the sides and top, and still believe the myth that compost needs to be turned.
The fruit smell attracts rodents. Enough cover material keeps the smell in and the edibles inaccessible. Then you can compost most of the foodstuffs you’re normally told not to (fruit, animal products, dairy, etc.). Oil is still a no-no, as I recall.