Red Wigglers Go To Prison
Just came across an interesting article describing a composting program set up at a Washington state minimum security prison several years ago.
It’s actually just one component of a very cool sustainability intitiative taking place at a number of Washington correctional facilities.
I think it’s great to set up programs like this at prisons and various other institutions - it’s good for the environment, it’s a good way to to provide constructive work for the inmates, and it probably ends up saving tax payers money in the long run.
Here is a blurb:
Inmates began collecting the food waste in November 2004 to supply food for the worms at the correction center’s composting operation, Cedar Creek business manager Tom Matthews said.
About 3,000 pounds of food waste per month goes to the composting plant, Matthews said.
In addition, the corrections center has reduced per capita water consumption by about 25 percent in recent years, he said.
It’s all part of a larger sustainability project at this prison and others around the state. At Cedar Creek, other ventures include rain barrels to collect rainwater for outdoor irrigation, an organic garden, a bee-keeping operation to produce honey and hand lotion, and a green roof project.
A 2006 study of the treatment plant by consulting engineers hired by the Corrections Department determined that the wastewater flows and concentrations of suspended solids and biological oxygen demand had dropped enough that the inmate population could be increased in 2008 without the need to spend more than $1 million to upgrade the treatment plant.
Be sure to check out the full article: Corrections centers take on sustainability
Technorati Tags: composting, vermicomposting, worm composting, wastewater treatment, compost bin, prison, correctional facilities, sustainability
Written by Bentley on March 23rd, 2007 with
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