12,000 tons of food waste transformed a barren landscape in Costa Rica
September 16, 2024 7:54 PM Subscribe
12,000 tons of food waste transformed a barren landscape in Costa Rica into something surprising.
Orange isn’t just the new black. It’s also the new green. Twenty years ago, an orange juice producer dumped thousands of tons of orange peels and pulp onto a barren section of a Costa Rican national park, which has since transformed into a lush, vine-laden woodland. The shift is a dramatic illustration of how agricultural waste can regenerate a forest and sequester vast sums of carbon — for free.
Even more remarkable, it was an accident.
“I was totally floored,” said Timothy Treuer, a Princeton University researcher and lead author of a new study published in the journal Restoration Ecology about the rejuvenated forest. “The area that received the orange peels was divided from the [area that did not receive the peels] by a single track dirt road, but the two areas looked like completely different ecosystems.”
On one side was a pasture “with a few scattered scraggly trees,” he said. On the other, “was an overgrown jungle, so lush it required a machete to move through. Once I was done picking my jaw up off the ground, I realized that I was looking at something truly special. It blew my mind.”
Orange isn’t just the new black. It’s also the new green. Twenty years ago, an orange juice producer dumped thousands of tons of orange peels and pulp onto a barren section of a Costa Rican national park, which has since transformed into a lush, vine-laden woodland. The shift is a dramatic illustration of how agricultural waste can regenerate a forest and sequester vast sums of carbon — for free.
Even more remarkable, it was an accident.
“I was totally floored,” said Timothy Treuer, a Princeton University researcher and lead author of a new study published in the journal Restoration Ecology about the rejuvenated forest. “The area that received the orange peels was divided from the [area that did not receive the peels] by a single track dirt road, but the two areas looked like completely different ecosystems.”
On one side was a pasture “with a few scattered scraggly trees,” he said. On the other, “was an overgrown jungle, so lush it required a machete to move through. Once I was done picking my jaw up off the ground, I realized that I was looking at something truly special. It blew my mind.”
Weed suppression, moisture retention, increased nutrients and biomass. There’s a reason why gardeners compost.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:32 PM on September 16, 2024 [13 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 8:32 PM on September 16, 2024 [13 favorites]
"On the right is the lush forest that was loaded with orange peel waste and on the left is the untreated land" aerial (Tim Treuer),
"Before -During-After" triptych (Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs), & "The Princeton team investigating the orange-enriched forest in 2014" (Treuer)
via The story of how discarded orange peels turbocharged a Costa Rican forest (New Atlas). "A deal was signed and the orange juice company dumped 12,000 metric tons of orange pulp and peels onto a three-hectare stretch of former cattle pasture. Many newly designated conservation areas in the [Area de Conservación Guanacaste] suffer from rocky, nutrient-poor soils due to the prominent history of overgrazing and fire-based land management in the region. The hope was that this plan would be the perfect synergy between industry and conservation."
The Area de Conservación Guanacaste "contains three national parks, as well as wildlife refuges and other nature reserves;" and includes a World Heritage site (designated in 1999).
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:05 PM on September 16, 2024 [8 favorites]
"Before -During-After" triptych (Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs), & "The Princeton team investigating the orange-enriched forest in 2014" (Treuer)
via The story of how discarded orange peels turbocharged a Costa Rican forest (New Atlas). "A deal was signed and the orange juice company dumped 12,000 metric tons of orange pulp and peels onto a three-hectare stretch of former cattle pasture. Many newly designated conservation areas in the [Area de Conservación Guanacaste] suffer from rocky, nutrient-poor soils due to the prominent history of overgrazing and fire-based land management in the region. The hope was that this plan would be the perfect synergy between industry and conservation."
The Area de Conservación Guanacaste "contains three national parks, as well as wildlife refuges and other nature reserves;" and includes a World Heritage site (designated in 1999).
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:05 PM on September 16, 2024 [8 favorites]
"Orange you glad we didn't dump bananas?"
posted by rory at 11:11 PM on September 16, 2024 [20 favorites]
posted by rory at 11:11 PM on September 16, 2024 [20 favorites]
Otoh, there is no investigation about any negative impacts.
posted by JJ86 at 2:31 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by JJ86 at 2:31 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
> Otoh, there is no investigation about any negative impacts.
Yes in particular I am worried about the oranges -- what happened to them?
posted by serif at 4:12 AM on September 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
Yes in particular I am worried about the oranges -- what happened to them?
posted by serif at 4:12 AM on September 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
I love this based on the summary and look forward to reading more. We're "dump and ignore" composters. We don't garden, we don't actively tend to our compost pile, but we have enough open space to be comfortable dumping our food scraps on the ground rather than tossing them in the garbage, and that seems like it has to be an improvement.
posted by obfuscation at 5:12 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by obfuscation at 5:12 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Like leotrotsky says, this seems very much like an accidental Ruth Stout garden executed at scale: mulch and compost in one, but the acidity was probably a lucky strike for this particular area.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 5:13 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 5:13 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
This is interesting because I just read an article on how the food waste from one Amur Tiger would feed a couple hundred birds of a variety of species and I am now going to petition Chicago Parks to get tigers for the local bird sanctuaries.
posted by srboisvert at 5:49 AM on September 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 5:49 AM on September 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
Fascinating. I'm now very curious about the texture of de-oiled, de-acidified orange peels and pulp.
The approach reminds me of Tim Dundon's work in California, as immortalized in one of my favorite articles in the now-defunct Arthur magazine: The Sodfather.
posted by AbelMelveny at 6:14 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
The approach reminds me of Tim Dundon's work in California, as immortalized in one of my favorite articles in the now-defunct Arthur magazine: The Sodfather.
posted by AbelMelveny at 6:14 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
> Otoh, there is no investigation about any negative impacts.
I guess you didn't see a "before" pic of the site. Which was a "barren pasture," i.e. a space that had already had all of the indigenous ecology bulldozed off of it. The "negative impacts" of this kind of remediation could possibly include... I'm drawing a total blank. I cannot think of a single negative impact that could be caused by treating a brownspace that had been killed by agribiz with uncontaminated natural compost. Not that this means there can't be any, but
Also, there was a control area that didn't get piled with orange peel compost, so there's that.
The instinctive contrariness of some online people is a curious thing. I'm wondering if this commentor looked at TFA at all? Or if they just really wanted to post something and that was something, so they posted it.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:24 AM on September 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
I guess you didn't see a "before" pic of the site. Which was a "barren pasture," i.e. a space that had already had all of the indigenous ecology bulldozed off of it. The "negative impacts" of this kind of remediation could possibly include... I'm drawing a total blank. I cannot think of a single negative impact that could be caused by treating a brownspace that had been killed by agribiz with uncontaminated natural compost. Not that this means there can't be any, but
Also, there was a control area that didn't get piled with orange peel compost, so there's that.
“One of the most surprising results of our tree survey was the number, size and diversity of trees in the area treated with orange peels,” Treuer said. “I was expecting a field of Cecropia — a fast-growing ‘pioneer’ species that often pops up along roadsides and heavily disturbed areas — but two of the most common species were [those] associated with old-growth forests. One of the fig trees we measured was already so large it would have taken three people to wrap their arms all the way around it.Also too, this was like, not a funded study that went to look at the impact. It was side trips by somebody who was in the area for other purposes and decided to duck in and take a look to see if anything happened. So of course they did no assessment of what harm might have been caused by the composting incident.
“The diversity was even more striking when compared to the control area that hadn’t been treated with orange peels, where just two pasture-associated species made up the vast majority of trees,” he added.
The instinctive contrariness of some online people is a curious thing. I'm wondering if this commentor looked at TFA at all? Or if they just really wanted to post something and that was something, so they posted it.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:24 AM on September 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
So when we put nutrients and organic matter on the ground it turns out more stuff can grow in it?
Quelle shock.
Soil organic matter is literally the most important thing that humans can affect in soil quality. They basically did it there by accident. Once you have enough for trees they can take root. The tree roots start breaking up rocks and making the soil nice and fluffy. Once you have nice and fluffy soil you have a sponge rather than a waterslide. Once you have a sponge your ecosystem becomes way more resilient.
It's a positive feedback loop that compounds on itself to dramatically improve the environment.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 6:52 AM on September 17, 2024 [7 favorites]
Quelle shock.
Soil organic matter is literally the most important thing that humans can affect in soil quality. They basically did it there by accident. Once you have enough for trees they can take root. The tree roots start breaking up rocks and making the soil nice and fluffy. Once you have nice and fluffy soil you have a sponge rather than a waterslide. Once you have a sponge your ecosystem becomes way more resilient.
It's a positive feedback loop that compounds on itself to dramatically improve the environment.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 6:52 AM on September 17, 2024 [7 favorites]
So when we put nutrients and organic matter on the ground it turns out more stuff can grow in it? Quelle shock.
Yeah, there's a reason so many "leftie elitist cities" are trying to launch composting programs now. Not only does it lessen the load on the sanitation department, it also gives a boost to the street trees that are likely growing in shitty soil.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:58 AM on September 17, 2024
Yeah, there's a reason so many "leftie elitist cities" are trying to launch composting programs now. Not only does it lessen the load on the sanitation department, it also gives a boost to the street trees that are likely growing in shitty soil.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:58 AM on September 17, 2024
In Brazil over the last 30 years they've basically abolished pre-harvest burning of sugar cane. They found that when they took the stalks off the cane and basically left them on the ground it improved yields by like 20% and the sugar that came out of green harvesting was of much higher quality.
Meanwhile Florida continues to hand out thousands of burn permits per year causing huge numbers of cases of asthma and lung cancer in poorer communities.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 7:01 AM on September 17, 2024 [6 favorites]
Meanwhile Florida continues to hand out thousands of burn permits per year causing huge numbers of cases of asthma and lung cancer in poorer communities.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 7:01 AM on September 17, 2024 [6 favorites]
It's what plants crave
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:17 AM on September 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:17 AM on September 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
> but the acidity was probably a lucky strike for this particular area
The acidity of oranges is a low-molecular weight carbon compound that is literally part of the basic energy metabolism of every aerobic microbe. I'm thinking it all got eaten before it could have any impact at all on the soil.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 8:44 AM on September 17, 2024 [3 favorites]
The acidity of oranges is a low-molecular weight carbon compound that is literally part of the basic energy metabolism of every aerobic microbe. I'm thinking it all got eaten before it could have any impact at all on the soil.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 8:44 AM on September 17, 2024 [3 favorites]
“I was expecting a field of Cecropia — a fast-growing ‘pioneer’ species that often pops up along roadsides and heavily disturbed areas — but two of the most common species were [those] associated with old-growth forests.
That would be because in the normal course of a succession from bare ground to forest, the pioneer species are the ones best adapted to very poor soils. As they establish themselves, their leaf litter adds organic matter until the soil has enough life in it to support plant species that require a richer soil to do well.
In Australia, various kinds of acacia feature prominently among pioneer species and these also host nitrogen-fixing bacteria symbiotically in root nodules. Cecropias are symbiotic with ants, whose gut flora provide a similar service.
Creating a massive instant compost pile amounts to doing a speedrun around the whole pioneer stage.
posted by flabdablet at 9:17 AM on September 17, 2024 [5 favorites]
That would be because in the normal course of a succession from bare ground to forest, the pioneer species are the ones best adapted to very poor soils. As they establish themselves, their leaf litter adds organic matter until the soil has enough life in it to support plant species that require a richer soil to do well.
In Australia, various kinds of acacia feature prominently among pioneer species and these also host nitrogen-fixing bacteria symbiotically in root nodules. Cecropias are symbiotic with ants, whose gut flora provide a similar service.
Creating a massive instant compost pile amounts to doing a speedrun around the whole pioneer stage.
posted by flabdablet at 9:17 AM on September 17, 2024 [5 favorites]
How did the orange peels work their magic?
“That’s the million dollar question that we don’t yet have the answer to,” Treuer said. “I strongly suspect that it was some synergy between suppression of the invasive grass and rejuvenation of heavily degraded soils. There’s plenty of evidence of both of those factors limiting forest recovery in other parts of the tropics.”
I mean, I'm happy this study is making a splash and everything. But is ecology really this obtuse? What is the burden of proof to scientifically establish that compost --> rejuvenated soil --> plant growth, biodiversity, reduction in invasive plant growth?
Some people are questioning the acidity of the peels, but the article says that acids were removed. Also, as a gardener I'm aware that anything you do affect soil's PH is going to be quite fleeting unless repeated year after year.
posted by kitcat at 9:18 AM on September 17, 2024 [3 favorites]
“That’s the million dollar question that we don’t yet have the answer to,” Treuer said. “I strongly suspect that it was some synergy between suppression of the invasive grass and rejuvenation of heavily degraded soils. There’s plenty of evidence of both of those factors limiting forest recovery in other parts of the tropics.”
I mean, I'm happy this study is making a splash and everything. But is ecology really this obtuse? What is the burden of proof to scientifically establish that compost --> rejuvenated soil --> plant growth, biodiversity, reduction in invasive plant growth?
Some people are questioning the acidity of the peels, but the article says that acids were removed. Also, as a gardener I'm aware that anything you do affect soil's PH is going to be quite fleeting unless repeated year after year.
posted by kitcat at 9:18 AM on September 17, 2024 [3 favorites]
Creating a massive instant compost pile amounts to doing a speedrun around the whole pioneer stage.
This. A fig tree isn't going to grow in sand. It needs good quality soil with plenty of organic matter.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 10:08 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
This. A fig tree isn't going to grow in sand. It needs good quality soil with plenty of organic matter.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 10:08 AM on September 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
But is ecology really this obtuse?
To be fair, a lot of people miss the forest for the trees. It's not instantly obvious that the overwhelming majority of any given forest's biodiversity is the soil.
posted by flabdablet at 1:35 PM on September 17, 2024 [5 favorites]
To be fair, a lot of people miss the forest for the trees. It's not instantly obvious that the overwhelming majority of any given forest's biodiversity is the soil.
posted by flabdablet at 1:35 PM on September 17, 2024 [5 favorites]
> But is ecology really this obtuse? What is the burden of proof to scientifically establish that compost --> rejuvenated soil --> plant growth, biodiversity, reduction in invasive plant growth?
Well, I'm no citrus surgeon, but the last two results aren't guaranteed outcomes of compost, and it's not always true that a neglected pile of single origin organic waste will compost.
posted by lucidium at 2:22 PM on September 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
Well, I'm no citrus surgeon, but the last two results aren't guaranteed outcomes of compost, and it's not always true that a neglected pile of single origin organic waste will compost.
posted by lucidium at 2:22 PM on September 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
There's also the fact that academic ecologists really want to understand the particulars of the situation. In part, this stems from a desire to ensure that it could be replicated if it were attempted again. Randomly dumping organic matter on degraded land may not, in fact, result in this outcome occurring again. Making sure all of the variables involved are understood is part and parcel of doing science.
posted by mollweide at 7:18 PM on September 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 7:18 PM on September 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
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It's fascinating to read their conjecture about what worked so well about the orange detritus, and also to read about the kinds of trees that took root there.
This is a great article, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with a friend who's interested in this sort of thing.
Thank you for posting this, chariot pulled by cassowaries!
posted by kristi at 8:02 PM on September 16, 2024 [3 favorites]