This is a “Moderator Approval Only” discussion group, meaning that the Compost Discussion List Manager previews all messages for approval. This policy is designed to keep unsolicited mail “spam” off the list, respond to “out-of-office” auto-replies, catch “unsubscribe” messages, stop virus attachments and to keep the discussions “on-topic”.

To prevent the spread of viruses and Trojans, attachments of any kind are not allowed on this list. This includes signature cards, embedded graphics, pictures, PDF files or certain types of HTML formatting that appears as computer hex code. Please place your attachment or document on a website and post the URL link to it for others to download. Modest HTML formatting is allowed, however.

We wish to keep this Compost Discussion List attractive to busy professionals. It is not a chat room. Private discussions, personal mail, and messages like “Me too”, “Good Job”, “Well Said”, “Thank you” and “Send me a copy” types of messages that do not add substance to the discussion are not allowed. Send these comments directly to the sender, not to the entire Compost Discussion List.

Messages to the Compost Discussion List will come to you with the discussion topic in the header. When you hit the “REPLY” button in your mail reading program, your response goes to the entire Compost Discussion List, not to the individual who posted the message. To send a private message to the sender, cut and paste the individual’s e-mail address into the “TO” line of the message instead of hitting the “REPLY” button.

This is a fully moderated discussion list and we have little tolerance for off-topic messages. Irregular messages or minor problems in formatting are occasionally let through when sent by new members or by members not familiar with the English language. In order to minimize the perception of “information overload”, please include multiple points into a single message instead of sending numerous messages. Please also avoid dominating discussions with a particular viewpoint or agenda. The Compost Discussion List Moderator may restrict discussion if one discussion thread has run its course or it appears that a member is using the discussion to unduly promote their agenda, product or service.

In order to keep this a friendly list, we ask that the members maintain civility in their communications. Challenging ideas is appropriate; attacking persons or businesses is not. When a message is questionable, the message is simply not allowed.

Please enter a clear and descriptive subject in the “SUBJECT” line describing the content of your message into the header for each message. Vague subject headers like “question” or “help” are not permissible.

This is not a forum for selling goods and services. Please do not promote any products, equipment, or service unless it is directly relevant to the discussion. Some latitude is allowed, including business information contained in discreet signatures and conversation relevant to the discussion. We also ask that you remove any advertising that is included in your e-mail program, or to use an e-mail service that does not include advertising. Contact us if you wish to place an advertisement or become a sponsor of the Compost Discussion List. Our posts reach over 1000 professionals every day at their place of work.

Long messages are not welcome by some of our members, some of whom are overseas or have accounts that restrict the volume of incoming messages. Delete irrelevant content from previous messages before replying. Place your comments near the beginning of the message so that readers do not need to scroll down through old text to get to your point.

As a favor, we ask each member to include their full name and e-mail address in the body of the text so that others know who they are and can get in touch with them without having to reply to the entire Compost Discussion List.

Only messages in the English language or with an English translation in the body of the message are allowed on the list.

All messages to the Compost Discussion List are to be sent ONLY to the Compost Discussion List. No multiple recipients, “CC” carbon copies, or “BCC” blind carbon copies are to be sent to other individuals or other discussion lists. This rule helps prevent the confusion and multiple bounced e-mail problem that results when non-subscribers to the Compost Discussion List who were copied the message. While this can occur when a responder hits “reply to all”, additional e-mails may be included inadvertently even when hitting “reply”.

When replying to a message in the Compost Discussion List, please check the message header to ensure that there are not multiple recipients in the “TO” or the “CC” lines, as these multiple e-mails will receive a copy that appears as a private message. When they respond, they often do not know that they are copying their reply to a large discussion list when they thought they were responding to only a private e-mail. If you must send a copy to a different discussion list or an associate not on the Compost Discussion List, send your message a second time with only their e-mail in the address line. Members sending CC copies to the Compost Discussion List may have their posting privileges suspended.

The contents of this Compost Discussion List are copyrighted by the USCC. All messages sent to the Compost Discussion List will end up on the public archive and cannot remain confidential. Messages are not to be forwarded to other discussion lists, reprinted, or used without the written permission of the Compost Discussion List Manager.

The directory of Compost Discussion List members is not open to the public. We respect your privacy and will not forward or sell the membership list or your e-mail to any individual or group without your permission. Our Compost Discussion List archives are formatted to prevent automated spam-bots from harvesting posters’ e-mail addresses, further protecting privacy.

Participation on the forum is at the discretion of the Compost Discussion List Manager. Minor breaches of etiquette will be responded to with a private, personal warning. Discussions of warnings or list moderation practices are not allowed on the Compost Discussion List as they are “off topic”. Please contact the US Composting Council directly at uscc@old.compostingcouncil.org with Compost Discussion List management questions. If your message was sent back without a specific reason, it may have been an error on the part of the Compost Discussion List Manager or one of the assistant managers. Please notify us if this happens.

Repeated or extreme violations of our policies or personal attacks directed to the Compost Discussion List Manager may result in permanent “read only” status or removal from the list. There is no appeal of Compost Discussion List Manager’s decisions.

By default, messages waiting for moderation expire after two days. In some cases, your message may be deleted if not moderated within those two days. In this case, you may need to resend your message.

Opinions expressed by posters, government organizations, members of the US Composting Council, Foundation Trustees, Compost Discussion List Managers, or the Board of Directors are their own and not necessarily those of the Moderator or any organization.