Composting at Bloedel Reserve

New Technology, New Design, More Compost

At Bloedel Reserve, our aim is to employ ecologically sound horticultural practices to maintain and nourish the grounds whenever practicable. Composting is an excellent example of that commitment to conservation and stewardship. Composting the large volumes of green waste generated on the grounds also just makes good economic sense.

Bloedel Reserve has been composting its green waste for more than a dozen years. But we knew the time had come to make a change in our composting methods. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a group of Bloedel supporters, funds were raised prior to the onset of the COVID pandemic specifically to build a new compost facility.  Though the pandemic initially delayed its construction, the new compost facility at the Reserve was successfully completed in late spring of 2021. It has already significantly changed the volume, efficiency, and variety of composting that we can do onsite.

The Bloedel Reserve facility is the first compost facility on Bainbridge Island to make use of Aerated Static Pile (ASP) technology for its temperature-controlled composting bins. Small fans force air through buried pipes into the composting materials and sensors make sure the mixture is “cooking” at optimal temperatures. ASP technology means that composting occurs nearly three times as fast as it did with the Reserve’s previous “open pile” method.

This ASP technology, plus a more efficient building design, were two innovations spearheaded by Michael Bryan-Brown, president of Green Mountain Technologies and a Bloedel Reserve Trustee. Thanks to his industrial composting expertise, the building footprint was reduced by 40% and cost half as much as  original construction estimates. Fairbank Construction, a founding Bloedel Business Partner, was responsible for the build itself, which was completed ahead of schedule.

The first batches of compost from the new facility are already in use throughout the Reserve. The horticultural team and grounds crew (pictured above) are pleased not only to have a better method for composting but also to have the additional covered space to store bark, gravel, and other supplies and tools they need to maintain the Reserve year-round.

The compost facility is just phase one of a multi-phase plan to create an Environmental Horticulture Center.

Watch a video documenting the facility’s construction below and learn more about how we compost.