feature story / 19 addition, customers receive a personal consultation on the dos and don’ts of composting. Each of these services is also avail- able a la carte. (See JavasCompost.com for details.) Once they have the equipment, customers can then choose to com- post on their own, or pay $28/week for Java’s Compost to do it all, which means emptying the bucket of food scraps into the tumbler and replacing it with a clean bucket, checking the temperature and chemical content of the decomposing matter, spinning the tumbler, and adding in the appropri- ate amount of wood pellets to man- age odors and balance the mixture as it cooks. “You do nothing, really, besides put your food in a bucket,” Michelle ex- plains. Breena Fishback of South Orange, agreed, saying it “couldn’t be easier. It all just sort of happens seamlessly. There is no mess for me.” Erica Sekuler of Maplewood says that without help from Java’s Com- post, her family of vegetarians would not be compost- ing. They tried three times to get a composting sys- tem going but they couldn’t get the mixture right and had no one to turn to. “I was hoping and wishing that a business existed to help get us started when the flyer for Java’s Compost ar- rived,” Sekuler says. The business model for Java’s Com- post is unusual. In other states, small- scale hauling companies or communi- ty groups who do composting pick up scraps and bring them to local farms or composting facilities, where they pay a tipping fee and get back a fraction of what they drop off. The Bradleys are hoping to offer a pick-up service once a new composting facility opens in Newark. But for now, they have found success in operating their on-site composting business out of their clients’ own back yards. “The nice thing about a backyard service is that you’re part of the pro- cess,” Michelle says. It also means that clients get 100 percent of their own food waste back as compost. According to Java, an average fam- Michelle adds food scraps to a compost tumbler and continues the cycle in which food becomes waste becomes soil becomes food. Michelle and Java and their three boys. “May your thirst for life never run dry” Join us in Celebration of the high holy days St. Patrick’s Day Saturday, March 17 Authentic Irish Cuisine, Irish Coffee, Fine Wines and Irish Whiskey worthy of Celtic Kings Experience the best of Ireland’s Pub traditions Family Friendly • Good Cheer Raw Bar on Fridays 4–7 p.m. ST. JAMES’S GATE APPAREL AND GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE www.stjamesgatepublickhouse.com Join us fireside for lunch and dinner 167 Maplewood Avenue Maplewood Village 973-378-2222 LIVE, TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC Check our website for upcoming events Join us in Celebration of the high holy days St. Patrick’s Day Saturday, March 17 Stop by and check out our new Spring Menu!! 71Valley Street, Suite 200, South Orange | 973-327-9775 | southorange@bicedu.com | BestInClassEducation.com Math & English Enrichment Kindergarten Through 12th Grade • Supplemental Instruction • PrivateTutoring • ACT & SATTest Prep • GiftedTest Prep Year-Round Program FREE Assessment! ($25.00Value) Call us to list your house... Spring market is NOW! SUE “SUKI” MARSH-SHIKIAR AND HEATHER GILHEANY Sales Associates Suki’s Cell: 973-953-0386 Heather’s Cell: 973-820-5751 HeatherandSuki.com Short Hills Office • 973.376.4545 505 Millburn Avenue • Short Hills