Compost 250 kg of food waste in 1 m³ with the Paca Digestora
A space efficient and community-based way to restore and regenerate soil health
What is a Paca Digestora?
A Paca Digestora is a composting pile made of garden and yard waste on the outside and food waste on the inside, compacted with human weight (dancing, stepping, jumping). Every Paca is a live organism, shrinking with every bite and decomposition from native microbes and detritivores.
The technique and composting method of Pacas Digestoras was pioneered by Guillermo Silva, a wise and humble elder, forest lover, and environmental activist from Colombia who studied forest engineering. Growing up around forests, he marveled at the spongy forest floor that embraced and recycled nutrients from everything that fell upon it, creating fertile black humus that nurtures plant growth. Observing, listening, and learning from nature, he wondered, why can’t we do the same with human created food waste? Since the 1980s, he has been studying and refining the way to make a Paca that doesn’t emit toxic gases or exudates, and spreading this knowledge to communities around Abya Yala.
How does it work?
The composting process that occurs within a Paca Digestora is considered anaerobic fermentation, with very low oxygen levels inside the Paca. In the first few weeks, the microbes get to work fast and furiously, and their fast and furious movements generate heat that not only eliminates certain pathogens but also keep them working. Then, the temperature slowly decreases as the microbes' work start to plateau. The Paca will also slowly shrink in height as the organic waste is decomposed. After 4 to 6 months (if outdoor climate is hot/tropical) or 8 to 10 months (if outdoor climate is cool/dry), the compost is ready to be harvested!
You'll need:
A mold made of solid material 1m length x 1m width x 40cm height
A shovel or a thick/strong stick
1m3 Paca Digestora composts 500 kg of organic matter
200 kg of food waste (there's nothing you can't add to the Paca Digestora!)
200-300 kg of yard waste
Please contact me if you are interested in a free workshop on Pacas Digestoras!
What to look out for
Making a Paca Digestora has 4 important considerations:
The finalised structure should not exceed 1m3 in volume
All domestic organic waste has to be encapsulated by yard/garden waste
It has to be constructed in connection with earth/soil, NOT on top of concrete or other impermeable surfaces
Pacas Digestoras that are 1m3 in volume has to be 40 cm apart from other 1m3 Pacas on 2 sides, and 15 cm apart on the other 2 sides
Paca Digestora work facilitated by Colectivo Trueque in University of Costa Rica Golfito.
What are the benefits of Pacas Digestoras?
Pacas are versatile: You can choose to just build a Paca to harvest compost or build soil OR you can plant on top like a raised garden bed and rebuild habitats for pollinators.
They don't emit odors or toxic gases: They don’t smell, don’t attract small animals or flies, don’t produce toxic gases.
Pacas are low maintenance: They don’t require much maintenance — just 1 to 2 litres of water once a week if it hasn’t rained. Since it's a block of pure nutrients and goodness, quick growing invasive plants may colonise it, so you may choose to manually remove any invasive growth.
You don't need electricity or machinery: The composting process doesn’t require electricity or machinery. All it needs is you and your fellow composters' compression, the hard work of digestion of decomposers and microorganism, and time.
Pacas mean team work: Although you have certainly make a Paca as a family (I do with my partner 4 to 5 times a year, once we've accumulated enough food waste), it's definitely more fun to do it in community. In certain neighbourhoods in Bogota, Colombia, neighbours come together once every 2 weeks to make a Paca in the park. Seeing other people working towards a common goal with the same sense of purpose and enthusiasm, we feel we are no longer fighting climate change alone. That sentiment can be incredibly powerful. What’s more, more climate friendly projects may emerge from being in a community of action-oriented and like-minded individuals.
They're great for the economy: They also help save local governments’ money in transporting and handling food waste, as well as maintaining beautifully planted parks.
How to make a Paca Digestora
Step 0: Choose a location to build the Paca Digestora. The ground must be earth (not concrete, lino, rooftop, other other human-made surfaces).
Step 1: Make a base with thick branches to separate the Paca from the ground
Step 2: Add garden or yard waste (dry leaves, small branches, grass) and compress with body weight
Step 3: Add more garden or yard waste and make a ‘nest’ (a hole in the middle of the Paca with 20 cm-thick walls)
Step 4: Add food waste (anything, even poop!) into the ‘nest’ and chop it up with shovels
Step 5: Add more garden or yard waste to cover the food waste and compress with body weight (jumping, dancing — have fun with it!)
Step 6: Remove the wooden mould, add 5–8 cm of soil on top, and plant whatever plants you wish (no bushes or trees because the roots won’t be able to anchor properly)
If you have more food waste, repeat steps 3 to 5 until you reach 1 metre in height, and finish with step 6. The Paca will take about 6–8 months, depending on the climate and humidity, to break down into compost!
Example of the mould
Essentially, the mould is a sturdy 4-walled structure that is relatively easy to lift among 3 to 4 people. The mould is reused like a cake mould. It is removed as soon as the Paca is made.
Here's an example of how we made ours. Contact me for the PDF guide and I'll send it to you for free.
Please contact me if you are interested in a free workshop on Pacas Digestoras!
 | A guest post by
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It is environment beneficial by making a Paca Digestora (Paca), a compact composting pile that recycles nutrients from food, yard, and garden waste back into the soil.
I attended a workshop in London in June 2023. The procedure in making a Paca is not difficult.