In addition to the resources provided below, there is lots more information available on our LINKS page.
Compost UseComposting Practices
Health and Safety
Policy
These specifications contain all of the technical text found in the “Official” American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) versions found in their 2003 AASHTO Provisional Standards Manual. The Compost for Erosion/Sediment Contol “Filter Berm” is designated as MP 9-03, and the “Compost Blanket” as MP 10-03. For a copy of the official AASHTO specifications contact their Publications Assistant at 202-624-5800.
What is compost and how is it made? This fact sheet summarizes the many physical, chemical and biological benefits that the use of compost brings.
The Washington State DOT (WSDOT) completed a project involving soil bioengineering on problematic slopes. Compost was used as part of the soil bioengineering solution.
The objective of this project was to demonstrate how the utilization of compost could effectively revegetate a barren slope.
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The Natural Resource Defense Council’s NRDC’s Guide to Composting at Sports Venues can help venues identify cost-competitive, ecologically superior ways to manage their organic waste stream, which is an urgent ecological need.
In response to soaring waste management costs, diminishing landfill space, and the escalating need for more environmentally-responsible practices, EPA is working to promote more integrated solid waste management practices. Within that framework, EPA Region 3, in cooperation with the US Composting Council, established the goal of creating this Best Management Practices (BMPs) document to assist yard waste composting facilities in expanding operations to include food residuals. These BMPs serve as a guide for that purpose, emphasizing planning and operational considerations as gleaned from experienced industry professionals, and is not intended as a comprehensive technical guide to composting. By simplifying what is involved in composting food residuals, it is hoped that more composting will occur; and occur in a safe and sustainable manner.
Summary of Articles on Compost Air Emissions Health Studies
This paper is an abridged version of a more comprehensive document. This paper summarizes only those articles that deal specifically with health impacts, while the full paper includes papers that address air emissions as well as health.
What is Endotoxin?
Endotoxin is a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that is part of the cell wall of gram negative bacteria (Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 19th Ed. F.A. Davis Co., Philadelphia, PA. 2001). Rylander and Jacobs (1994) indicate that endotoxins are made up of complex LPS compound, which consists of polysaccharide chains connected by core oligosaccharide to a lipid part.
The objective of this manual is to help you establish a safety program that is compliant with regulations and effective in reducing or eliminating safety hazards.
From the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services. Mr. Bryan Lane, CIS Occupational Safety and Health Consultant, researched and produced this manual.
Andrew C. Kessler and Amy McCrae Kessler
BioCycle December 2010, Vol. 51, No. 12, p. 25
Part One of this three part article serries discusses how a stand-alone code for composting will provide robust statistical data of critical value to the finance community and other stakeholders.
COMPOSTING in the U.S. as a commercial activity employing people and contributing to the economy has been around for decades. Today, there are over 3,000 commercial composters in the U.S. and thousands more businesses including service and equipment providers supporting the processing infrastructure. Despite this size and depth, a number of fundamental questions about the industry cannot be answered with a great degree of authority or conviction. How big is the market for compost in terms of total revenue and product volume? How many people does the sector employ? How much does it contribute to local, state and national economies?
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BioCycle April 2011, Vol. 52, No. 4, p. 17
Andrew C. Kessler, Amy McCrae Kessler and Cara Unterkofler
Part 2 addresses where the composting industry belongs within the North American Industry Classification System. This article examines the options, analyzes alternatives using a common set of criteria and makes a preliminary recommendation.
IN the U.S. today, increasing demand for quality compost and engineered soils from a growing spectrum of users cannot be met with the current processing capacity. Developing the infrastructure of the composting industry to meet these growing market needs will require significant financial investment along with the continued support of local, state and federal government.
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Andrew C. Kessler, Amy McCrae Kessler and Cara Unterkofler
BioCycle January 2012, Vol. 53, No. 1, p. 38
Part Three discusses what actions are necessary for the composting industry to gain a stand-alone North American Industry Classification System code. The final article in this series suggests a plan and timeline.
ONCE a thriving industry with 78 percent market share in retail textile products, the U.S. cotton industry declined dramatically in the mid 1960s after the introduction of synthetics, falling to just 34 percent market share in 1975. In what is one of the greatest examples of the power of industry-wide collective action, cotton growers called for industry cooperation and successfully lobbied Congress to pass an act creating a national cotton marketing and research program. The national program relied on a simple yet powerful funding vehicle — cotton producers and importers were assessed a fee, a small portion of every bale of cotton fiber sold in the U.S. This collective action enabled the industry to create Cotton Incorporated, an entity that went on to build an unprecedented marketing campaign (“The Fabric of Our Lives” and the Seal of Cotton) designed to recapture market share for cotton. Today, 8 out of 10 Americans can identify the cotton logo and cotton comprises two-thirds of the fiber market in the U.S.
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