Hello,

I took your survey and gave you very valuable information.. I normally don't take surveys, but yours seem like a good cause.. Are you in school, is this for a project or what? You just trying to make Money on a patent or what?

"am working on a design to simplify household composting to make it something more people will do"

Pile the proper amount of plant/animal matter in a pile, keep moist.. You really can't get much simpler than that! Like I said in the survey, your target market should be for the people who vermicompost, you should create a really efficient worm bin.. Them people are the most gullible, spending lots of money on worms,etc.. Them are the people you should try and sell to..

The best way to encourage people to compost, is to show them real life benefits, not only for the plants, but the environment and we as humans.. Show people how much you could really save going to land fills.. Look at all the people hyped up on recycling, you could do th same with composting! A lot of people grow plants.. Have a side by side comparision, or show studies of how compost benefits plants,soil,envonment,etc.. You could even make people feel guilty for not composting, and almost make them feel obligated to do so. There are so many marketing tactics.. But the majority of folks are simple traditional gardeners, who dont want a fancy "system".. We already have our own systems, a steaming pile, and a pitchfork.. Also people who compost are normally environmentally conscious, there all apart reduces Watse,etc.. So to buy a plastic compost system, doesn't make to much sense, an turns a lot of people off.. You may want to make something TRULY environmentally friendly...

Best of luck,
Joe

Best of luck,
Joe

For those who may want to know what the questions are first, this is my survey as completed.

Claire

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1. If you compost, or have in the past, explain why you chose to compost?
I compost for several reasons:
1. I hate to just throw out something that could be used. Composting is a way to recycle organic materials.
2. Compost is a free and beneficial product for my garden. It serves as both fertilizer and mulch.

2. What materials do you compost? Tell me both the initial materials and any you add in.
I compost kitchen scraps (edible), paper (junk mail, newspaper, catalogs, etc.) and some leaves and ornamental grass clippings. Most leaves and prunings I just leave to compost in place to nourish the plants they came from. In the spring I'll remove some of these to allow sprouts to come up - these I add to the compost pile.

3. How and where do you collect your compost? Describe the system you use.
Kitchen scraps are collected in a stainless steel bucket and emptied onto the outdoor system, and I shred most paper indoors. I have an open compost pile plus two plastic bins. Shredded paper and kitchen scraps mostly go into the bins, particularly if it's windy and in the winter. When a plastic bin gets full I'll move the contents into the open pile. By then the materials are partly composted and not likely to blow around. I occasionally turn the open pile and mix the top portion of the bins.

4. Where do you keep your composting system, and does it have an impact on the appearance of your yard or garden?
The pile and bins are across the street in a vacant lot with trees. This is a rural area and it's not an eyesore

5. How do you use your final composted soil?
I use it as a mulch and sometimes as an amendment to the sandy soil during planting.

6. Explain how successful your composting system is and why you think this is so.
The system is very successful in terms of giving me a useful, free product to nourish the soil for my plants. It also drastically cuts down the waste of household materials that otherwise would just molder in a landfill or be burned for disposal.

7. What do you like about your composting system?
It's easy to use. I don't have to do anything beyond occasionally emptying the bins and mixing the pile, and I can do this on a nice day when I'm feeling ambitious. The uglier stuff goes into the bins so it doesn't offend the neighbors. It's not a hot composting system but it gets there in its own sweet time and I can wait.

8. What do you dislike about your system, or what would make composting a better experience for you?
Somedays I have to force myself to empty the kitchen bucket and bring the shredded paper bag outside, but it's become a routine like washing dishes.
1. I've tried the biobags in the bucket but they just don't break down in my slow pile. A good easily compostable bag would be great in terms of making it easier to empty and clean the bucket. Even better if cereal and such came in these bags so I don't have to buy a product solely for composting.
2. A water source/hose faucet near the pile would make it a whole lot easier to wash out the bucket and dampen the pile.

9. Would you prefer to make your own compost or use a service that might pick up your composting materials and deliver fully composted material to you?
Right now I'm OK with making my own compost but I'm not getting any younger and I can see a future where it will be difficult and then impossible. I would prefer a service if I can be certain that no objectionable/toxic materials are lurking in the final compost I receive.

10. If you do not compost, what might make you interested in composting, or in using a composting service?
N/A