Well here's another random idea for reusing surplus shipping containers...retrofit them so that they are converted into an enclosed, aerated composting vessels (complete with a mixer) similar to those custom designed and custom made enclosed composting containers that were expensive and site specific (i.e. stationary). These vessels convert organic wastes into compost in around 3 weeks vs an average of 3 months for typical windrow composting - with generating the odors and putrescent puddles common to those mega recycling facilities. And a container could be retrofitted with a couple of trips to Home Depot/Lowe's and a few clicks on eBay or Amazon. It's efficient because it monitors conditions and then optimizes them through active aeration and periodic mixing of wastes. Simplified, that would entail mounting an array of perforated pipes on the bottom of the container, which is the connected thru hoses and bulk head fittings to some squirrel fans which are in return hooked into a form of variable resistor (to control fan speed) and this is in turn connected to relays from a STC-1000 digital PID temperature controller (which takes the reading of a thermocouple sensor). As for mixing the enclosed wastes, think pole auger mounted on guide rails (with a motor system, like a linear actuator to create a 2 axis movement). Again, this would be tied into a temperature/humidity PID. Total cost of container, delivery charges, materials, control equipment...under $15,000. No fuss, no muss (whatever muss is) and your capable of recycling about 70-100 cubic yds every 3 weeks -food wastes, farm manure, etc. If you're interested in getting fancier, mounted some PEX or copper tubing on the top panel to act as a heat exchanger and capture the compost heat.
My thought was that something like this could be used to take wastes from a city and dock it on a small pad on a farm, where it will take up a minuscule amount of land, provide a farmer with income from the disposal fees -- and provide recycling capacity without creating another waste land from taking virgin land to big one of those huge composting facilites. Sure, one site, even with 10 containers, is a drop in the bucket, but a network of mini sites would.
Perhaps it's time to think small.
My random thought of the day...oops it's early morning
Larry
