In preparation for this year’s final National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in October in Portland, Oregon, the USCC took a quick pulse check of its members on attitudes toward a request from member and partner Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) regarding adding packaging meeting ASTM standards to feedstocks allowed in compost used in organic agriculture. Currently, those materials are not accepted as a material allowable in compost. The NOSB will make its final decision at its October meeting, but its Crops Subcommittee has released a proposal that includes the definition change request.

 

Out of 947 eligible members, we heard from 217 of you on our survey. Members who identified as compost producers were given additional questions regarding operations size, feedstocks, and organic markets.

 

This article also serves as an addendum to our main Top of the Pile story.

On Sept. 16, Samantha Winkle, USCC treasurer and assistant district manager for Waste Connections, represented the USCC and the compost industry in a hearing on Capitol Hill before staff of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  The hearing was held to answer questions for the first time from the U.S. House of Representatives about the need for passive receivers, like compost producers, to be exempt from liability for cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).

Join us for COMPOST2025: Thirsty for Solutions in Phoenix, Jan. 27-30, 2025! This premier event brings together composters, industry leaders and sustainability experts from across the nation. With seven interactive workshops, three tours, 75 inspiring speakers, an equipment demonstration day, and 100+ exhibitors, COMPOST2025 is the can't-miss event of the year for everyone in the composting industry!

 

Mark your calendar: Registration officially opens on Sept. 23, 2024! Be sure to reserve your spot early and take advantage of early bird pricing. Stay tuned for more details about speakers, exhibitors and special events. We can't wait to see you in Phoenix!

 

For more information, visit our conference website at the button below.

This past summer, several USCC members hosted legislative tours of their compost facilities and operations, inviting state and federal legislators to take a glimpse into how our industry works and how they can continue to advocate for our shared mission of building healthier, more sustainable communities.

 

Click below to learn more about Spotsylvania County and the Foodbank Inc.'s legislative compost facility tours.

This is the US Composting Council's Compost Policy Pulse update for August 2024.

 

August’s update touches on the EPA’s proposal to update Clean Air Act emission standards for municipal and solid waste landfills, a study on methane release from local Houston landfills, and the USCC’s continuous efforts to distinguish stable and nonstable compost in response to claims made by kitchen dehydrator units. We also share two compost facility legislative tours that happened during the summer.

 

These updates are brought to our members from our Public Policy and Lobbying Program, and the Legislative and Environmental Affairs Committee, a member committee that meets monthly to discuss legislation, regulation, issues, and programs.

The Georgia Composting Council attended and hosted an educational session at the Solid Waste Association of North America and the Georgia Recycling Coalition’s The Power of Partnership Conference, which took place on Jekyll Island, Georgia, Sept. 18-20. The session, hosted by GCC Board Chair David Paull and Programs and Events Committee Member Blair Michal, was titled “Addressing Packaging.”

 

The first-ever joint conference by SWANA’s Georgia chapter and the GRC, the conference hosted sessions that included topics ranging from new technology, grants, case studies, landfill technology, safety, and PFAS to organics, MRFs, glass, zero waste, and “trash talk” on social media.

 

Click on the link below to learn more about the GCC.

The North Carolina Composting Council co-hosted the Compost Research and Education Foundation’s Compost Operations Training Course from Sept. 9-13 at North Carolina State University. Attendees from all over the U.S. – including two students from Canada – heard from industry and education experts on the science and art of running a successful composting facility.

 

In addition to educational classroom sessions, the class toured several composting facilities throughout the week and built their own compost piles from a selection of feedstocks.

 

The USCC sent two staff members, Marketing Coordinator Daniel Ibarra and Office Administrator Erin Carpenter, to the course as an opportunity to learn more about the industry and apply what they’ve learned to their current positions.

 

CREF’s next COTC will take place Oct. 28-Nov. 1 in Seffner, Florida. Read more about it in the CREF News section. Click the button below to register.

The USCC Young Professionals are excited to announce the new leadership team for the YP Committee. With their energy and expertise, they will help drive the group’s mission forward.

 

We welcome four new members – including the committee chair – as well as two returning members. We also bid farewell several outgoing leaders.

 

Click the button below for the full announcement.

St. Louis Composting is currently expanding its headquarters based in Valley Park, Missouri. The expansion includes several new offices, a training room, and a driver/operator break room. The expansion comes as a result of the compost producer’s growing team.

 

Founded in 1992 by eco-enthusiast Patrick Geraty, St. Louis Composting is the region’s largest compost producer. The compost producer’s nine composting facilities process more than one million cubic yards of green material annually – more than half of all yard waste generated in St. Louis County.

 

To learn more about St. Louis Composting, click the button below.

Yolo Land and Cattle Co., straddling Yolo and Solano counties in California’s Sacramento Valley, was recently featured in an article in the Western Livestock Journal, a weekly newspaper on the livestock industry.

 

Titled “Tradition meets innovation: Yolo Land and Cattle Co.,” the article highlights the ranch’s growth and diversification efforts since the Stone family purchased the operation in 1976. One of those efforts was partnering with Agromin in developing a chipping, grinding, and blending facility on a 20-acre property. This facility processes urban yard and organic waste into high-quality organic compost, which the ranch applies to its fields.

 

Click the button below to read the article.

The Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, a San Diego County-based nonprofit, will be hosting a webinar on manure composting for ranchers and farmers on Nov. 13, from 6-7 p.m. Pacific. The webinar will cover the basics of composting, regulations, odor prevention, and local water source protection.

 

Located in Encinitas, California, the Solana Center is dedicated to empowering innovative solutions to climate change through education, community engagement and research. Their classes, workshops, and events focus on soil, water, and waste, promoting upstream and preventative behaviors that are widely accessible.

 

Click the button below to register for the webinar.

Anthony Myint, executive director of Zero Foodprint, held a TED Talk back in June 2024, sharing what inspired the chef to go from opening buzzy pop-ups to pushing for a shift to regenerative farming practices in the food system. He explains how it didn't go the way he expected at first – and how restaurants are now teaming up with farmers and eaters alike to restore the climate while serving up delicious food.

 

Click the link below to watch the talk.

StopWaste is seeking responses from organizations (including businesses, nonprofits, other entities) and individuals that can provide technical assistance and education to expand on-site composting and compost use in Alameda County, California. Audiences include, but are not limited to, farmers and ranchers, landscape professionals, public agency staff, and home gardeners. Entities offering services appropriate described in the Request for Qualifications are encouraged to submit qualifications documenting their experience. We highly encourage applicants from a variety of composting backgrounds.

 

Full-time compost equipment operator position at Creekside Soils, the city-owned and operated compost facility. Work includes operating varying light and heavy equipment to process compost from raw materials to finished bulk and bagged products. Includes inside and outside work.

 

Generally, Monday-Friday work schedule with some weekend work, depending on season, workload, and weather. Requires high school diploma or GED, and 1-3 years relevant equipment operation experience.

The Ohio EPA's Market Development Grants provide Ohio businesses (for example, manufacturers, recyclers, material processors, etc.) opportunities to create or expand recycling processing capacity and recycled material production. This includes funding for equipment specifically needed to remanufacture recyclable materials into bulk raw material or finished product.

 

Businesses are required to partner with a government sponsor to be eligible for a Market Development Grant, which requires a 100% match from the grantee. Grant funds are reimbursed only after project completion through the government sponsor. Grantees have 24 months to complete the project.

 

An informational webinar will take place Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. EDT. See the Upcoming Events section below to register.

On Sept. 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $117 million for three separate funding opportunities to advance recycling infrastructure and boost food waste prevention education across the country. Two of the notices are for Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grants – one funding opportunity for Tribes and intertribal consortia, and another for communities (such as cities, counties, and parishes) across the country. The third notice is for EPA’s Recycling Education and Outreach grant program and is focused on food waste prevention and composting.

 

Applications are due Dec. 20, 2024. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, click the button below.

The CREF staff and board of trustees would like to acknowledge and thank USCC for the generous donation of $10,000 to the Test Methods for the Examination of Composting and Compost (TMECC) revision project!

 

The TMECC, with its detailed protocols for verification of the physical, chemical, and biological condition of composting feedstocks, material in process, and compost products at the point of sale, provides the underpinning of the USCC’s STA program. Released more than 20 years ago, the TMECC is sorely in need of a makeover in order to bring it in line with advancing technologies and methodologies, as well as addressing evolving challenges like PFAS and persistent herbicides. To that end, CREF put together a proposal requesting funds to support a comprehensive update of TMECC III version 3.5.

Coordination is well underway for CREF’s Compost Operations Training Course (COTC) in Florida next month. A lineup of subject matter experts from across Florida and the U.S. are scheduled to speak, and tours have been arranged for four Tampa-area compost facilities. The Florida Composting Council has been integral in building local connections that will make this an exceptional training.

 

It’s that time of year again! CREF is accepting submissions to the annual poster contest for International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), now through Nov. 1. The winning poster will represent ICAW worldwide when the event is celebrated May 4-10, 2025. You can learn more and enter the contest at the button below.

 

In addition to the standard poster contest for ages 14 and up, this year features a bookmark contest for ages 10-13. More information can be found at the button below.

 

EMMAUS, Pa., Sept. 3, 2024 — On Aug. 31, 2024, the New York Times published an article on the presence of chemicals known as PFAS on farmland across the country. BioCycle published a response column from Senior Editorial Adviser Sally Brown, addressing the article's particular focus on PFAS contamination from biosolids.

 

Sally Brown, who has a doctorate in agronomy from the University of Maryland, is also a research associate professor at the University of Washington.

 

ROANOKE, Va., Aug. 13, 2024 — Star City Compost is a recycling company that opened in January in the Roanoke Centre for Industry & Technology in Roanoke, Virginia. The company takes food waste from Roanoke residents and businesses and converts it into clean compost that will soon be available for sale.

 

According to documents filed with the Department of Environmental Quality for permitting purposes, Star City Compost can handle 1,700 tons of waste, plus wood chips used in the process for breaking down the scraps, to make a couple thousand cubic yards of compost annually. The company hasn’t reached that maximum capacity, yet, but it hopes to have its first batch of compost available to sell to customers later this fall.

 

FEDERAL WAY, Wash., Aug. 10, 2024 — As of January 2024, Federal Way businesses that produce at least eight cubic yards of organic material per week are required to have it collected and sent to the right type of processing facility. Organic waste refers to food and yard scraps, and it needs to be processed differently from recycling or garbage.

 

The change came as part of House Bill 1799 that includes more than 20 law changes related to methane emissions in Washington state.

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Aug. 21, 2024 — A new law championed by Illinois State Senator Karina Villa will require large event facilities to recycle and compost materials to address the significant amount of waste created at large scale events.

 

 

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 11, 2024 — A $400,000 federal grant will fund the launch of a new city program aimed at reducing food waste and food insecurity. Known as Food Excess, Equitable Distribution or FEED MKE, the pilot program will provide grants in two areas: to support the development of food recovery capacity building and to support the purchase of on-site composting supplies or to institute subscription-based composting services at community locations.

 

“The FEED MKE pilot project offers our city the opportunity to strengthen our economy by reducing waste, addressing hunger, and building programs that inspire hope,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson in a statement announcing the award. “This funding will support significant advancements toward the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan’s big ideas, specifically waste reduction and sustainable consumption. The benefits of this work are multiple, including feeding hungry residents, keeping methane-producing food waste out of landfills, composting more organic matter to enrich our soil, and creating employment opportunities for residents living in food-insecure communities.”