All flats must
be harvested and cleaned by following these simple rules.
We have purchased
a soil sterilization cart that will enable us to compost the soil on the farm
and reduce our waste costs. The most important thing to keep in mind with
this new system is source separation, i.e. - the separation of individual components
at the time and place of the harvest. After you have collected your seeds,
you can discard any tubes by putting them in Regulated Medical Waste boxes
(RMW). All stakes (wood, plastic or metal) are separated and placed into
the 3-gallon sharps containers in an orderly manner. Any plastic inserts
that hold the soil can be nested together after the soil is removed and placed
into the RMW. Plastic and wood labels and eppendorf tubes must be removed
from the soil before the soil only is placed into the marked bins. The
labels and eppendorf tubes can then be placed into the RMW. The soil and
any plant parts will be collected in marked bins and then sterilized and
composted. The bins are the ones on wheels located by the wash station.
The 1020 holed and non-holed flats and any domes can be stacked by the wash
area in the garage on the farm.
These steps will
decrease the RMW that we generate and help to make our harvest and
sterilization procedures more efficient and manageable. Be sure that you remove
all excess water before filling the RMW boxes. They cannot be collected if the
box is damp, wet or water damaged.