Turning Waste Into Nutrition

Overview

Objective: My objective was to find which type of decomposing yard waste would grow the tallest plants. Materials and Methods: I baled three different types of green waste: fallen leaves, grass clippings and straw. Each bale was “conditioned” with fertilizer to kick start the decomposition process. There were three bales for each type of green waste and a pea sprout was planted into each bale. The pea plants’ height was measured weekly. Results: Over eight weeks, the fallen leaf bales consistently grew the tallest pea plants. The straw bales used as a control grew the shortest pea plants. Conclusions: Although the data did not support my hypothesis that baled grass clippings would grow the best plants, the objective was attained. Decomposing yard waste will grow healthy plants. I used straw as a control because straw bale gardening is a known technique and I was curious to see if free types of green waste from my yard would be better at growing plants. This is useful because it helps to manage waste that would otherwise go into landfills by using it to produce food.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Environmental Engineering (Track 2) (Junior Division) · Entry J-12-13

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