USCC members and staff made another trip to the US Capitol in April to move forward our federal legislative priorities: the COMPOST Act, the newly re-introduced Senate version of the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act and PFAS CERCLA exemption/research (see the related PFAS story later in this newsletter).
 
We were joined by numerous members who either traveled to D.C. (Noel Lyons from McGill Compost, Christina Piocosta-Lahue from Vivaria, and Brian Orrock from Spotsylvania County) or "zoomed in” for a virtual meeting (Adam Brummond from ReturnCo, Mike Johnson from Heartland F/S, Shannon Pinc from Natureworks, Ginny Black from MNCC/Black Gold, and Marshall Hall from Natural Organic Process Enterprises).
 
We are still receiving feedback from those visits, and we thank all of our members. As constituents, they led the meetings, voicing eloquently and from their heart their reasons for being in the compost industry. "Those voices do so much more to move the needle than ours do as staff or lobbyists,” said Linda Norris-Waldt, advocacy director for USCC. "We are looking forward to more opportunities for this kind of engagement.” Indeed, in the coming weeks USCC is contacting specific members from districts where we are targeting a Member of Congress who can influence our legislative priorities for a virtual meeting. We have already worked with Steve Callis of Missouri and Wayne Koeckeritz of Tennessee.

The compost industry continues to be drawn into remediation of a suite of chemicals more commonly known as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) that has innocently plagued some composts, despite our concerns about the dangers to human health and the wish not to have it pollute our product. However, we are considered passive receivers because PFAS enters our compost stream, through food, non-compostable food packaging (BPI has forbidden intentional PFAS in its certified products), biosolids—even rainwater and upstream sources.

Due to this, some states are considering regulation that would disallow compost to be spread on farmland, even though there is no quantified research to determine what levels of PFAS might be considered unsafe for farmland.

WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP to support two initiatives that would help our compost manufacturers survive this threat that hangs over our small but thriving industry:

1. Legislation to ensure composters are exempted from EPA enforcement of CERCLA, also known as Superfund, a proposal to be decided later this year that would require payment from “covered” entities-which includes composting right now. Sen. Cynthia Lummis would exempt our industry, and we ask you to go to the Compost Action Center to ask your federal legislators to support this bill.
2. PFAS Research: Watch for a Compost Action Center campaign to help us push for funds for PFAS Research. For your information, our research asks can be found here.

Thank you for your support!

Laurel Valley Soils has been producing STA Certified Premium Compost for almost two decades, and every year we look forward to International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) as a great opportunity to engage with and educate our local community.

The STA Program helps compost manufacturers and compost users achieve successful projects. STA Compost manufacturers are required to test their compost on a regular basis by participating in testing by a certified lab which generates a CTDS (Compost Technical Data Sheet) listing the results. The CTDS provides the clarity to know if the compost will meet the specifications of the project. It also provides confidence that the test results generated are accurate and consistent as the testing labs undergo proficiency testing by the STA Program.

For the past several years, to celebrate ICAW, we have brought a dump trailer full of compost to the opening day of our local growers market. It is a BYOB event (buckets, of course!), and our community members can fill up their buckets for free and provide a donation to our local food bank if they choose to do so. As we are filling buckets, it gives us time to answer questions about STA Certified Compost and compost use in general.

Our customers feel a level of comfort when selecting our STA Certified Premium Compost for their projects. Because if it isn’t STA Compost, what is it?

One of the goals of the USCC is to expand industry-wide professional development through education and certification for compost producers and professional specifiers. How do we accomplish this? Through programs such as USCC Certification, Compost University™ and Career Center. We believe our members and member companies can make an impact on the industry through education and certification. 
 
The USCC Certification Commission offers two credentials, the Certified Compost Operations Manager™ (CCOM™), and the Certified Composting Professional™ (CCP™).
 
A CCOM™ understands all aspects of composting operations, from feedstock arrival through marketing and uses, including environmental controls and the larger context of organics recycling and waste management. A CCP™ has a similar knowledge base as a CCOM™ but has gained that through a variety of work and training experiences, instead of at a compost manufacturing facility. Consultants, equipment providers, educators, program managers and even regulators could all earn a CCP™.
 
Certification makes an impact! To learn more about the USCC Certification process and continuing education for you or your employees, contact Teri Sorg-McManamon.

The Young Professionals Mentorship Program is now accepting applications for both mentors and mentees, but don't wait too long. The program will stop accepting applications after Monday, May 15, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The annual initiative is designed to connect young professionals with seasoned experts in the composting industry. Mentees have the opportunity to gain valuable insights, knowledge, and experience while building a strong professional network within the industry.

Our mission is to foster the growth and development of the next generation of compost industry leaders by encouraging innovation, highlighting achievements, and providing networking opportunities for sustainability entrepreneurs and educators.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor and inspiring young professionals in the industry, we encourage you to apply through our webpage. Mentees can also apply through the same webpage, which can be found here: https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/MentorYoungProfessionals.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Hessa Al Maghlouth, Administrative Assistant at hessa@compostingcouncil.org. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

We have updated the Young Professional webpage to give it a fresh new look. You can check it out here: https://www.compostingcouncil.org/ypg 
 
Our new webpage is your one-stop shop for learning more about the Young Professionals Program, sub-committees, and connecting with us virtually or in-person on social media or at one of our many fun events!
 
Our favorite thing about the webpage is the “YPs through the Years” section, where we feature pictures and memories of past events from our committee members. If you have any picture submissions that you would like us to include, please email Hessa Al Maghlouth, Administrative Assistant at hessa@compostingcouncil.org. 
 
You can also find all of the many ways you can connect with the YP Group such as the Monthly Happy Hours, quarterly committee calls, USCC membership scholarships, and more. To view a full  list of upcoming YP events, you can follow the link to USCC Community Calendar: https://www.compostingcouncil.org/events/ 
 
We hope you enjoy our new webpage and that it provides you with valuable information about our program. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or feedback. 

The next scheduled Compost Operations Training Course (COTC) will be held July 31 – Aug. 4 in Camden County, New Jersey. Registration is open and an Early Bird discount is being offered until June 19. You can learn more or register HERE . 

If COTC registration fees present a financial challenge, the new Cary Oshins’ Training Scholarship application will be available later this month. This scholarship will offer financial assistance to attend an upcoming COTC. The first scholarship(s) will be awarded for the New Jersey COTC.  CREF is still accepting generous donations to this scholarship fund. The more donations received, the more scholarships that can be offered throughout the year.  You can donate to the Cary Oshins’ Training Scholarship HERE.

On May 8, Laurel Valley Soils, in Landenberg, PA graciously hosted the official start of ICAW 2023.  The kick-off event included a visit to Laurel Valley's compost site as well as a tour of a local mushroom farm. Laurel Valley Farms is located in the official “Mushroom Capital of the World” and is the largest single-site mushroom composting operation in North America. They supply compost to grow 11% of the mushrooms grown in the US. CREF would like to thank Laurel Valley Soils for hosting the event as well as Rep. Christina Sappey for attending and sharing the importance of the compost industry to Chester County, PA. Thank you also to everyone else who attended, which included representatives from U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan’s office, the American Mushroom Institute, the EPA, and many ICAW volunteers and ICAW Committee members.