Fall 2010

Compost

Comm

unicator

SantaClara/SanJosé2011

Table of Contents 3 PRESIDENT’S GREETING

5 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

9 ABOUT SANTA CLARA / SAN jOSÉ

9 NEW MEMBERS

10 STA SPOTLIGhT ON . . . TERRA-GRO

12 2011 USCC CONFERENCE FEATURED SPEAkERS

18 CONFERENCE PROGRAM & REGISTRATION

22 2011 USCC CONFERENCE SNEAk PREVIEW

24 BEST OF LIST SERVE

26 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

27 IN ThE NEWSCompostable Plastics Symposium WORC Conference

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19th Annual Conference and Tradeshow / 24–27 january, 2011 3

In just a little over two months we’ll all be in Santa Clara/San José; renewing old

acquaintances, learning more new information then we even thought existed,

seeing the newest and best equipment and products that our industry has to offer

and having one heck of a great time! The 19th Annual Conference & Tradeshow is

getting real close. Another excellent roster of topics, speakers and presentations

is planned, including a private viewing of DIRT! The Movie. You’ll find a conference

program summary, a ‘sneak preview’ of a few conference presentations and just

some of the world famous speakers contained in the following pages. Conference

information and registration forms are now available on the USCC website at

www.compostingcouncil.org/conference/

Take a few minutes to complete your application and reserve your seat at the 2011,

19th Annual USCC Conference & Tradeshow!

You are cordially invited to join us for the festivities as we roll out the U.S. Composting Council’s 19th Annual Conference and Tradeshow in Santa Clara/ San José, California next January. The Conference has grown steadily over the past seven years and next year’s offerings are even richer, greener, and more exciting than ever before. The USCC Annual Conference and Exhibition is now the largest event in the world dedicated to composting and organics management. The 2011

Conference promises to be the best on record offering something for everyone. We have an incredible line up of over 100 exhibitors, ready to share the latest industry products and technology with attendees. What has now become known as the World’s best live equipment demonstration will be even greater in 2011 at the Newby Island Composting Facility. In keeping with the changing face of our indus-try, we have also lined up an exceptional educational program adding several new workshops and technical presentations.

We also look forward to meeting and visiting with you during the Council’s Annual Membership meeting which will be held on Monday january 24th at 5:15 pm. This is your chance to meet the committee chairs and Board members who have been working so hard this past year to develop and implement the programs that you have asked for. We will be presenting a state of the industry report, updating you on the Council’s activities and answering any ques-tions that you might have.

A note of special interest this year is that we will have Gene Rosow, the director of DIRT! The Movie, at our awards banquet. Gene will host a private screening of his film. This movie was the winner of several documentary awards in 2009 and was featured as an official selection of the 2009 Sundance film festival.

During these challenging economic times, be assured that one of the best investments you can make is to attend next year’s Conference. The conference will more than pay for itself with insights into the changing dynamics of the nation’s green building and renewable energy programs. The conference will offer a tremendous opportunity for professional growth and provide you with the tools that you need to improve and optimize your facility operations or your organization’s composting and organics recycling initiatives. There will be network-ing opportunities aplenty as several social activities and vendor receptions will be held daily in the exhibit hall.

Remember, in a down economy smart companies increase their competitive edge by focusing on new opportunities and strategically realigning their position in the market place! Now more than ever, the things that you will learn at next year's conference could really make a difference in the future of your business.

I look forward to seeing you in Santa Clara and San José.

President’s GreetingWayne king

Compost Communicator is edited by Stu Buckner & Al Rattie

USCC 19th Annual Conference & Tradeshow

24–27 January 2011Hyatt Regency Santa Clara

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19th Annual Conference and Tradeshow / 24–27 january, 2011 5

Executive Director’s Message Stu Buckner

Annual Conference & Trade ShowThe conference program is completed and this is shaping up to be the best event ever. We know that you hear this every year, but the facts will speak for themselves! We bring you the information needed to stay current, improve your business, and advance your career. Just refer to the enclosed conference summary and the scope and depth of content being offered becomes clear. Critical issues that affect all composters and those affiliated with the indus-try will be addressed. The Program includes four concurrent tracks of timely information.

Some of the Featured Speakers and a few abstracts are highlighted in the pages that follow. 13 Workshops and Training Courses are planned for the Pre-conference program on Monday, January 24, including 6 NEW and expanded offerings described below. Currently, 46 Sponsors have already signed on to help support the USCC and make this event a success!

The conference features; more workshops and training opportunities, more technical and educational sessions, more interactive hands-on seminars that include question and answer sessions with leaders in the industry, more equipment demonstrations and more network-ing opportunities than ever before. This conference will give you a tremendous opportunity for professional growth and will provide you with the tools to improve and optimize your facility operations or organization’s composting and organics recycling initiatives, as well as manage successful compost marketing programs. Discover how to increase your operating efficiency, improve your products and add to your bottom line. Be sure to join us in Santa Clara/San José!

Remember to plan to attend the Pre-Conference Workshops and Training Courses, as well as other events, scheduled for Monday, January 24th!

13 Workshops & Training Courses for 2011

All full-day workshops (or two half-day workshops) include lunch.

p NEW FOR 2011. Protecting Workers: job hazard Analysis For Composting Facilities. Job hazard analysis could be made a more effective workplace evaluation tool by making sure that a wide range of potential hazards have been explored in a structured way so as to reduce the possibility of overlooking the familiar. Adding concerns about diversity and disability enables scientific informa-tion to overcome any stereotypical assumptions about certain conditions or work activities so that real risk can be separated from perceptions, myths, and fears. Instructor: Nellie J. Brown, Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations

p NEW FOR 2011. Challenges and Solutions for a Successful Food Waste Recycling Program. This workshop will address the numerous challenges generators, haulers and compost facilities face when participating and implementing a comprehensive food waste recycling program. All participants should be prepared and are welcome to offer their insight and experiences so we can have a well rounded conversation and arrive at good solid solutions to walk away with. Instructor: Michael Manna, Managing Director of Organic Recycling Solutions, LLC

p USCC Foundations of Composting. The course will provide a solid understanding of the foundations of composting for operators, managers and regulators. The course will train new composters on the basic principles and techniques of composting and will

reacquaint veteran composters with the underlying fundamentals of their profession. Instructors: Dr. Robert Rynk, State University of New York at Cobleskill and Matthew Cotton, Integrated Waste Management Consulting, LLC

p Composting Business Management. The seminar covers the busi-ness management aspects of developing and running a compost business. Topics to be covered will include: the basics of busi-ness management, developing a new composting business, busi-ness expansion and growth, and exiting a business, among other topics. Instructors: Craig Coker, Coker Composting & Consulting; Tom Spiggle, Law Offices of J. Thomas Spiggle, Esq and Andrew Kessler, Turning Earth, LLC

p Compost Benefits and Usage in Vineyards: Growing Better Grapes, Recipes, Compost Applications and Compost Production. Concepts, practices and "how to's" of high quality compost production and use for winegrape vineyards will be discussed. The course will provide practical information and training for composters, vineyard managers and viticulturists to use simple, economical and effective methods for producing and using high quality compost from recycled vineyard and winery organic matter. Instructor: Bob Shaffer, Soil Culture Consulting in Sonoma County

p NEW FOR 2011. Compost Outreach: Best Practices in Compost Education Programs. This half-day workshop takes you through the components of successful compost education programs and outreach efforts. It will cover a broad range of educational ideas and settings including personal experiences, along with results and stories from clients. Instructor: Stan Slaughter is an Eco-trobadour with 5 CDs, creator of Compost Gin and other compost educational products.

p NEW FOR 2011. Aspects of Facility Design: Planning, System Selection and Environmental Management. This workshop is for facility developers and planners on key considerations for new facilities or major expansion. It will provide important information on planning, design concepts, system selection, and environmen-tal management. Instructor: Dr. Eliot Epstein, Adjunct Professor of Public Health at Boston University School of Public Health.

p NEWLY REVISED. Compost Sales and Marketing Workshop. Provides training for compost sales & marketing staff on the basics of compost marketing and sales. The workshop provides marketing insight and sales techniques for new, as well as veteran, compost sales staff. Instructor: Ron Alexander, R. Alexander Associates

p Compost Use in Agriculture, horticulture and Landscaping. Workshop participants will learn proper compost use for specific crops and other applications. Training will be based on compost-ing principles and promote the improvement of soil physical, chemical and biological properties by the correct use of composts. Instructors: Dr. Monica Ozores-Hampton, Dr. Don Rockwood and Dr. Ronald French-Monar, University of Florida/SWFREC

p Aerated Static Pile Composting: Applications and Advancements. This course is for experienced composters who would like to expand beyond the basics of leaf and yard waste composting into food residuals, manures and other challenging materials. Participants will learn the differences among various systems, how to determine fan size and piping, and what kind of environ-mental protection and permitting is needed. Instructor: Peter Moon, PE, O2 Compost

p Management of Odor Issues at Composting Facilities. This work-shop will provide information and discuss odor management for

6 Compost Communicator

various handling systems and control technologies for composting. Methods of odor assessment will be presented. Odor modeling and its value will be discussed. Instructor: Jeff Gage, Compost Design Services

p NEW FOR 2011. Compost Production for Food Safety. Recent increases in food-borne illnesses are prompting new food safety regulations. While compost has never been shown to be a source of illness, growers, packers and purchasers are increasingly cautious. This workshop will provide both the background to understand the reason for caution & guidance on how to minimize these risks. Instructors: Johnny Massa, Comgro Soil Amendments; Patricia D. Millner, Ph.D.,United States Department of Agriculture; Mike Villaneva, Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement & Carrie Gregory, Pierce County Recycling Composting & Disposal

p NEW FOR 2011. When Bad Things happen at Your Composting Facility—Imagining What Can Go Wrong & how You Can Recover. Crises, such as natural disasters, injuries, process failures, odor problems, lawsuits, perceptions by neighbors, financial problems, to name a few examples, may affect the viability of a composting operation—demonstrating the need to think strategically about a composting facility’s vulnerability to crises. Facility managers have responsibility for assessing risks so that they can prevent crises or lessen their impact. This workshop will explore these potential problems & solutions. Instructor: Nellie J. Brown, Cornell University's School of Industrial & Labor Relations

For workshop agendas & additional information on the training courses, visit: www.compostingcouncil.org/conference/program.php

Special Events Make the USCC Conference a Complete Experience

While most people come to the USCC Annual Conference & Tradeshow for the first-class educa-tional experience and the chance to network and share ideas, it’s the special events that help make the USCC Conference a complete experience.

Exhibitor's Reception / January 25This gathering will give you the chance to unwind after a full day of learning and networking. Meet with the conference Exhibitors and network with your col-leagues in an informal setting.

Topic Dinners / January 25Quench your thirst for knowledge and satisfy your palate by joining fellow conference attendees and subject matter experts for Topic Dinners at some of San José’s finest downtown restaurants. Enjoy an energetic discussion about organics diversion, debate the merits of bioplastics, or share your insights on

anaerobic digestion over a scrumptious meal with industry topic experts. Details will be available at the conference.

Breakfasts, Mid-Morning & Afternoon Refreshment Breaks / January 25 & 26The breakfasts & breaks provide great food and plenty of time to explore the Trade Show and meet with Exhibitors. To enhance the event, there will be raffles and giveaways of $5,000 worth of USCC publications and more . . .

Awards Luncheon / January 26The Awards Luncheon this year will feature a keynote presentation on, “There’s No Such Thing as Waste, Until it’s Wasted: Compost—The key to a Sustainable Future” by Gene Roskow, Producer and Director ofDIRT! The Movie. Read more about the exclusive, private viewing of this film below!

Zero Waste Reception / January 26Sponsored by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), the event will showcase a number of com-postable items such as plates, cups and serving ware. All residuals will be composted at a local composting facility.

Special, Private Viewing of DIRT! The Movie / January 26We will offer two showings of this film on Wednesday night, Jan. 26. Please be on the lookout for more details in the near future.

Post Movie Pub Crawl / January 26The title says it all. Join your old and new friends from the conference for a trip down Santana Row!

Equipment Demonstrations at the Newby Island Composting Facility & Tours of Area Composting Facilities / January 27 Join us at one of the premier composting facilities in the U.S. for “Live” Equipment Demonstrations by many of the leading equipment manufacturers and suppliers in the industry. Equipment demonstrations in Santa Clara/San José will feature NEW products from several manufacturers. The demonstrations as of the publication of this newsletter include p Grinding and shredding equipment from komptech,

Bandit, Vermeer, Peterson, Morbark, hammel, Doppstadt & Continental Biomass Industries

p Screening equipment from komptech, Wildcat, Peterson & McCloskey International

p Compost turning equipment from komptech, Scarab, Backhus North America & Vermeer Corporation

p Mixing equipment by Supreme International & ROTO_MIX

p Bucket screens & other attachments by ALLU p Air classification equipment by komptech p Waste Reduction—Pulper & Hydra-Extractor by Somat

Luncheon Sponsor Vermeer CorporationHard Hat Sponsor komptech

For conference attendees who have immediate or future equipment needs, this is a unique opportunity

to observe some of the best and newest equipment in operation. For vendors and equipment manufacturers, this is the ultimate opportunity to demonstrate your equipment to a national audience in one convenient location in the largest compost market in the U.S. It is the sales call of a lifetime! Only 5 spaces for equip-ment demonstrations are left. Vendors interested in participating should reserve equipment demonstra-tion space now!

Go to www.compostingcouncil.org, and click on the conference menu to reserve both exhibit and demon-stration space or call the USCC at 631.737.4931.

Compost Facility Tours / January 27Newby Island Composting FacilitySited at the Newby Island Sanitary Landfill, Newby Island Organics features a large-scale windrow composting operation. Feedstocks processed include food residuals, yard trimmings, and wood wastes from Bay Area cities that are transformed into quality soil amendments. The Newby Island Landfill also has an extensive recycling program for construction/demolition debris, metal, drywall, asphalt, concrete, and wood debris; and a Recyclery that handles glass, plastics, cardboard, aluminum cans, and mixed paper. Newby Island is an approved recycler for the City of San José and Alameda and Santa Clara County.

Zanker Road Resource Management Ltd.This privately owned solid waste and recycling company began operations in 1985 by developing a landfill into a full-service resource management and recycling facility. In 1998, Zanker expanded operations by permitting an adjacent landfill site as a construction and demolition (C&D) debris process-ing facility. These two facilities process more than 2,000 tons of mixed debris per day with an average division rate of 81% The tour will include; their new soils blending area, colored mulch operation, gypsum recycling operations, two wood grinding and two-demolition processing areas, concrete recycling facility and a 260’ C&D sort line.

Visit the “Experts Corner” / January 25–26 Reserve a complimentary ‘one on one’ problem solv-ing meeting with leading experts in the industry. USCC/SWANA Compost Certification Exam / January 26

“Raising the Bar” for the Composting industry—Become certified as a Manager of Compost Programs.

2010 Professional Achievement Award honorees to be recognized at the USCC Annual Conference and TradeshowThis year, the USCC will name an elite class of 6 com-post professionals to become the newest recipients of the USCC's prestigious Professional Achievement Awards. These awards represent the highest individual achievement in the composting field. The Professional Achievement awards will be presented at the awards luncheon ceremony on Wednesday, january 26. Please join us as we honor the awardees and hear comments from our colleagues. This year’s awards will be as follows:

Wildcat trommel screens and compost turners can help you produce a consistent end product.For nearly 40 years, Wildcat Manufacturing has been helping operators exceed their wildest expectations. Our products are powerful, productive, and backed by an industry-leading dealer network committed to your satisfaction.

From trommel screens to compost turners, we design and build equipment you can count on day after day. It’s easy to operate, easy to service, and the easy choice when you need high performance and consistent end product.

Call your nearest dealer or visit www.wildcatmfg.com today!

The WILDCAT LOGO is a trademark of Wildcat Mfg. Co, Inc. VERMEER is a trademark of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the United States and / or other countries.

© 2009 Vermeer Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

WE’RE WILDLY CONSISTENT.

8 Compost Communicator

p Composter of the Year—for a commercial-scale composting facility, public or private, that has displayed excellence in both compost production and marketing/distribution

p hi kellogg Award—for outstanding service to the composting industry p Rufus Chaney Award—for research excellence

p h. Clark Gregory Award—for outstanding grassroots efforts to promote composting

p Clean Water Award—for projects that have positively impacted water quality or increased awareness of the link between soils, compost and water quality

p Composting Program of the Year—awarded to a small-scale composting facility or program, public or private, that has demonstrated organics diversion to composting or vermi-composting including a component of education and public outreach. p The jerome Goldstein Lifetime

Achievement Award—awarded to an individual who has achieved excellence in their field of study and to honor those who have made significant contributions over their professional career to the field of environmental stewardship and natural resource sustainability. The Jerome Goldstein Lifetime Achievement Award is a special recognition award and not an annual award.

The USCC's Annual Conference and Exhibition in Santa Clara/San josé will be Carbon Neutral!The U.S. Composting Council has made a commitment to offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with conference activities and attend-ees' air and vehicle travel to and from the conference, totaling up to 500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Environmental Credit Corporation is providing carbon offset credits and retiring them on behalf of the USCC.

The carbon credits will come from specific projects that reduce methane from manure and organic residuals management and will be independently verified, audited and registered with the Chicago Climate Exchange. Environmental Credit Corp. is a leading offset provider for US and international markets, and a member of the USCC.

19th Annual Conference and Tradeshow / 24–27 january, 2011 9

The Conference is located in the beautiful Santa Clara/San José region of California. San José & Santa Clara offer a wide array of entertainment options including award winning dining, active nightlife, museums, the-atre, golf, hiking, wine tasting, as well as professional and collegiate sports. Downtown San José is home to more than 100 restaurants and clubs, the Improv Comedy Club, as well as the HP Pavilion where the San José Sharks play hockey and world-renowned art-ists perform. Visitors to the Santana Row area of San José enjoy upscale shopping, spas, dining and much more. The Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club is located less than a mile from the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, and more than 25 golf courses are within a less than an hour’s drive from the hotel.

In addition to these entertainment options, several renowned sites and attractions await just a short drive from the Santa Clara Convention Center. To the west lies the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row, as well as the surf and sand of Santa Cruz and the elephant seals of Ano Nuevo State Park. To the north San Francisco with its wealth of attractions are less than an hour away, and across the Golden Gate Bridge the world-famous wines of Napa Valley beckon visitors.

Please welcome these 37 new USCC members who have joined since the summer newsletter was published:

Jack Granas, Odotech, Inc., Fair Lawn NJDelores Rodgers-Smith, US Environmental Protection Agency, Atlanta GALinda Chubbuck, Tall Oak Productions, Lee’s Summit MOAndrew Huske, Waste Stream Innovation, Mills River NCJohn Pitto, Pitto Ranches, Dixon CAVanitha Milberg, New York NYJonas Kreitzer, Orwigsburg PAKeith Howard, Lee County Solid Waste, Fort Myers FLMike Seader, Western Disposal Services, Inc., Boulder CORebecca Jackson, jCM Farming, Inc., Solana Beach CAAlisha McCutcheon, Redwood Landfill/Waste Management, Novato CAJonathan Kim, Gaia Recycle, LLC, Palo Alto CATracey Bauder, Bradco Environmental, Redlands CAGreg Traver, Agra-Cycle, Inc., Memphis TNBrian Debasitis, Mauby All Natural, San José CAOle Sandberg, Aqua Ventures, New York NYAnil Abrol, Eco Guardian, Newmarket CanadaSam Esmaili, Recycling Product News, Vancouver CanadaPatrick Charbonneau, Durabac, Granby CanadaRichard Chambers, BioBin North America, LLC, Chester PADouglas Lanz, Air Phaser Environmental, Surrey Canada

Stephen McLaughlin, City of Virginia Beach Public Works, VALaLette DeBord, Princeville ILCasey Furlong, Racine WIJohn Walser, Nioex Systems USA, Inc., Mankato MN Lucas Schmidt, Carmel INDon Willis, Green USA Recycling, Inc., Westfield CTJennifer Erickson, Portland ORTracey Fikes, Bemi’s Company—Paper Packaging Division, Omaha NEChristine Moran, City of Santa Cruz, CAKenneth Doucet, D’s Recycling Compost Facility, San Angelo TXMarc Okrant, Oakleaf Waste, East Hartford CTJosh Nelson, Agrilab Technologies, LLP, Powlet VTBrenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Washington DCJack Chambers, Sonoma Valley Worm Farm, Sonoma CADan Rice, PrairieLand Dairy, Firth NEAndrew Jobe, The Ground Up, Houston TX

Membership Growth We are pleased to report that more than 115 new members have joined the USCC already this year. You can make a major contribution to the future of your USCC by simply getting one person to become a member. Membership materials can be found on the USCC web site or can be obtained by calling the USCC office at 631.737.4931. Help grow your orga-nization. Remember, the USCC is only as strong as its membership, so be sure to recruit your colleagues!

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10 Compost Communicator

Terra-Gro, Inc. manages two Pennsylvania facilities known primarily for composting agricultural waste; Oregon Dairy Organics and Graywood Farms. They have recently begun accepting a combined 1000 tons annually of food waste from a food processing com-pany, a grocery store chain and a small college. They are seeing a growing interest among Pennsylvania institutions such as colleges and hospitals that desire to compost their food waste. Terra-Gro is relatively new to the STA Program, having enrolled in early 2010. They are only the 2nd participant from Pennsylvania.

Terra-Gro is a producer of premium compost topdressing and soil amendment products for turf and landscape professionals. All compost is produced under roof and is stored under roof for optimum quality control, moisture management, and product consistency. They produce compostfor athletic turf topdressing, athletic field root zone construction, a landscape soil amendment, rain gardens, E&S applications, ground-water recharge and infiltration and for land reclamation.

Outstanding product performance with unsurpassed consistency is one of their primary marketing claims. Their new entity is marketing finished product under the name Oregon Dairy Organics a joint venture between Terra-Gro, Inc. and Oregon Dairy Farm.

Their Oregon Dairy facility is a $1.5 million composting project in Lancaster County. Oregon Dairy Organics, aims to reduce landfill waste while also helping water quality in the Chesapeake Bay area. The site is just a bit less than 5 acres. Oregon Dairy milks approximately 500 cows and has an additional 500 head of other cattle—young stock, heifers, beef, etc. Oregon Dairy Organics is a partnership between Oregon Dairy farm in Lititz, PA and Terra-Gro. Terra-Gro General Manager Loren Martin says farmers in the region are feeling pressure to improve nutrient management practices. “This particular project will take a lot of manure from Oregon Dairy Farm and compost it to produce a very beneficial, stable material,” he says. The product is expected to help prevent nutrient run off into the area’s rivers and streams when it mixes with soil. Oregon Dairy General Manager George Hurst says the product, which will con-sist of manure, yard waste and food waste will be sold to the public. “We will be able to take the nutrients that we produce and spread that over a much larger base area both within the community and it can also even be trucked over some pretty great distances,” he says. Hurst says that by spreading the composted material over a greater area, there’s less chance that harmful elements (when mismanaged or over applied) such as nitrogen and phosphorous will leach into the groundwater.

The primary feedstock materials will be manure from the farm operations at Oregon Dairy; dairy manure (milking herd) as well as bedded pack manure from pens. Most manure composting takes manure from the host farm only and is managed by the host farmer, which can result in low quality final compost, with higher emissions of ammonia, and compost that is only suitable for on farm use. While many townships operate larger regional composting facilities for green waste, few of them accept manure because of the odor and transporting manure can be expensive beyond about 10–15 miles. Frequently there are

also issues pertaining to permitting and funding that prevent municipalities from utilizing manure from their resident farmers within the municipal compost-ing arena.

The composting will occur in covered windrows (hoop structures) and is an aerobic process that is actively managed and turned. Terra-Gro’s windrow turner is a TurnTEQ windrow turner built locally by Pendu Manufacturing. Patents are pending on the machine. About 18,000 to 20,000 cubic yards of compost are expected to be produced annually from about 20,000

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19th Annual Conference and Tradeshow / 24–27 january, 2011 11

Resource Recycling is

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ResourceRecycling.indd 1 10/19/10 9:40 AM

to 22,000 tons of manure and 5,000 tons of food waste, plus some yard waste.

“The Oregon Dairy Organics composting facility will play an important role in helping Pennsylvania meet the co-equal goals of clean water and viable farms,” said Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding. “Knowing the important role Pennsylvania plays in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, we must find innovative ways to protect our natural resources and increase the profitability of our farms. The Oregon Dairy Organics team has created a model that will benefit the community, the farms and our waterways.”

“By working together and embracing a new approach to an old technology, composting—Oregon Dairy Organics has been able to develop a program that will benefit farmers, the community and water quality,” said Suzy Friedman, the project’s manager

and deputy director of the Center for Conservation Incentives at the Environmental Defense Fund.

“Oregon Dairy Organics is an example of farmers stepping forward to improve water quality in local creeks, the Conestoga River, and all the way to the Chesapeake Bay.”

Oregon Dairy Organics brings together an innovative partnership to demonstrate how composting can play a bigger role in improving water quality in southeast-ern Pennsylvania and other areas of the Chesapeake Bay by giving farmers expanded options for nutrient management. The project combines the efficiencies

and professional management of composting multiple waste streams at one site, while avoiding the size, traffic, and hauling expenses of a large-scale regional composting facility.

ContactLoren Martin350 Nottingham Road NottinghamPA 19362800.359.1384www.terra-gro.comterragro@frontiernet.net

12 Compost Communicator

2011 USCC Conference Featured Speakers

Eugene Rosow, Ph.D.Gene will make the Keynote Presentation at the USCC Awards Luncheon. He is the producer and director of Dirt! The Movie. Conference attendees will be treated to special private screenings of this film. Gene is an accomplished filmmaker who has written, directed and produced more than 20 documentaries during his 30-plus years in the industry. Dr. Rosow has a Ph.D. in history from the University of California at Berkeley, where he also taught. Gene is the UC Berkeley 2009 Han Jenny Memorial Lecturer in Soil Science. He will present “There’s no such thing as waste—until it’s wasted: Compost the Key to a Sustainable Future”.

jerry BartlettJerry is Cedar Grove Composting, Inc.’s Vice President and has been in charge of operating two composting facilities for 9 years. He has 22 years of experience in the environmental industry and a thorough knowledge of solid and hazardous waste regulations. Jerry will participate with a panel of leading composting and anaerobic digestion facility “developers” during the plenary session, which will include: Mike Sangiacomo, Recology; Paul Sellew, Harvest Power and Michele

Young, City of San José. They will discuss their visions on what organics management facilities will look like 5 to 10 years from now. Jerry will also present, “The Composter’s Response” during the educational sessions.

Mike SangiacomoMike is President & Chief Executive Officer at Norcal Waste Systems, Inc., now operating as Recology.Mike is a 26-year member of the Recology manage-ment team. Mike has served on the boards of many of Northern California’s most effective community orga-nizations, including the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the San Francisco 49ers Foundation. In 2008, Mike was honored as the city’s “sustain-ability leader” in the San Francisco Business Times’ annual celebration of San Francisco’s most admired CEOs. He will participate in the plenary session.

Michele YoungMichele is the Organics Program Manager for the City of San José’s Environmental Services Department, where she is developing an integrated organics strategy for the City’s Zero Waste Plan and Green Vision. Current projects include Organics to Energy infrastructure development, redesign of the City’s commercial collection and processing systems, food

waste collection for residences, schools, and the airport, and support for compost research and marketing. She will participate in the plenary session and will also present, “Diversion and Conversion—Innovative Solutions for Commercial Organics”

Paul SellewPaul is the CEO of Harvest Power, a technology and project development company dedicated to harness-ing the renewable energy in organic waste. Paul has been a leader in the organics industry for more than 25 years. In 1982, he founded Earthgro, Inc., which grew to be the second largest producer of compost-based lawn and garden products in North America. He also founded International Process Systems, Allgro & Environmental Credit Corp. Paul will partici-pate in the conference opening plenary session.

Nora GoldsteinNora is the Executive Editor of BioCycle, Journal of Composting, Organics Recycling & Renewable Energy.

She joined the family business in 1978, founded by her father Jerome Goldstein in 1960. Nora will present “How to Grow the U.S. Composting Industry” .

William Brinton, Ph.D. Dr. Brinton is the founder of Woods End research

Laboratory. He has written more than 30 scientific papers on com-post and horticultural products. He will present “CO2 Respiration of Composts: Volumetric vs Gravimetric Methods and Relevancy to Intended Use”

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14 Compost Communicator

Sally Brown, Ph.D.Dr. Brown is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington. Her research has focused on using residuals to reduce metal availability and restore ecosystem function in drastically contaminated soils.

She is also working in partner-ship with local farmers to set up a biodiesel industry which integrates municipal biosolids into the biodiesel production process. She will present “Compost Market Development in Urban Areas”.

David Crohn, Ph.D.Dr. Crohn is an Associate Professor and Waste Management Specialist in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of California,

Riverside. A native of North Carolina, he earned his Ph.D. in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Cornell University in 1992. He will present “Using Compost to Improve Water Quality”.

kathryn kellogg johnsonKathy is Vice President of Environmental and Community Relations of Kellogg Garden Products, Carson, CA. Kellogg is a family owned compost manu-facturing and marketing firm, selling compost across North America. Kellogg supplies over 3,500 retail

locations with a variety of quality garden products. Kathy will pres-ent “Compost Cures the Planet and other well founded Truths of Marketing Compost”.

Ramani Narayan, Ph.D. Dr. Narayan, with Michigan State University, is an internationally recognized expert in the engineer-ing and design of sustainable, bio-based products, biodegradable plastics and polymers, with eighty publications in leading journals and fourteen patents. A focus area of his is on developing LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) protocols for meeting a product’s environmental stewardship. He will present

“Compostability Standards (ASTM D6400, D6868)”.

Scott Subler, Ph.D.Dr. Subler holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Ecology from the Pennsylvania State University and is co-founder and President of Environmental Credit Corp, a leading supplier of environmental credits from agriculture

and organic waste management to global financial markets. He will present “Development of Environmental Markets for Food Waste Diversion Projects”.

jack MacyJack is San Francisco’s Commercial Recycling Coordinator, with over 20 years of experience in composting and recycling policy and programs on a state and local level. He has helped develop and implement the country’s first large-scale city com-mercial and residential food composting program

and recently helped implement policies for compostable food service ware and checkout bags. Jack will present “San Francisco’s Mandatory Food Composting Collection Experience”.

Luc A. De BaereLuc is the general manager of Organic Waste Systems. O.W.S. commercializes the Dranco technology on a worldwide scale, together with laboratory testing and consulting in the field of the determination of the bio-degradability of consumer products. He is the author and co-author of about 40 scientific publications in

the field of anaerobic digestion and biodegradability measure-ments. He will present “State of the Art of Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Solid Waste in Europe in 2010”.

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Matt Cotton Matt is the principal of Integrated Waste Management Consulting, LLC and has been on the Board of Directors of the USCC since 1999 and is the USCC Past President. He has over 20 years of experience

in composting and has helped permit and develop some of California’s best composting facilities. Matt will present

“Meeting the Challenges of a New Decade—an Update on the CA Composting Industry”.

Luis Diaz, Ph.D.Dr. Diaz is president of CalRecovery, Inc., a solid waste consulting and engineering firm located in Concord, California. He has more than 30 years of experience in the waste management industry, includ-ing the conduct of waste management studies, techni-cal and economic assessments of solid waste systems marketing studies for recovered materials, energy and

other related areas. He will co-present “Methods of Recovering and Utilizing Renewable Energy and Compost from Post-Consumer Organic Materials” with George M. Savage.

George Savage George Savage is Executive Vice President of CalRecovery, Inc., and is a registered professional engineer. He has been involved in various aspects of solid waste management for over 30 years, includ-ing biological processing of organic waste materials and management of odor from biological processing facilities.

Ron AlexanderRon is the President of R. Alexander Associates, Inc., a company specializing in market development and research for organic recycled products. Mr. Alexander is a horticulturalist with over 24 years of experience working with compost. He has also authored the Field

Guide to Compost Use, and more recently, The Practical Guide to Compost Marketing and Sales. He will present “Characterizing Compost and Anaerobic Digester Products” & “The Psychology of Compost Sales”.

Todd Williams, PETodd is a Principal Technologist with CH2M HILL. He

has a 28 year career in environ-mental engineering with experi-ence and specific emphasis in the biosolids and organics manage-ment field, and has been involved

with over 50 compost facilities nationwide. He will present “Spotsylvania County’s Expanded Composting Facility Applies Aerated Static Pile Technology Advances”.

Rhonda ShermanRhonda is an extension specialist in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State University, providing leadership for university outreach programs on solid waste management issues through the Cooperative Extension Service. She has developed and conducted countless training courses and workshops, and created a variety of publications and audiovisuals on solid waste management and

sustainability issues. Rhonda provides education and technical assistance about vermicompost-ing and composting throughout the US. Rhonda will present “The Status of Vermicomposting in North America”.

Christian Garaffa Christian is the Marketing Manager for Source Separation and Recycling at Novamont, one of the

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companies, retailers and other stakeholders focusing on consumer needs, performance of separate collec-tion schemes, material and energy recovery technolo-gies like composting and anaerobic digestion. He will present “Extensive Use of Compostable Shopping Bags in Italy: Synergy and Integration between Retail Sector and Residential Organics Collection Programs”.

Tom Wright Tom Wright is the sustainable business practices manager for Whole Foods’ stores west of the Mississippi. When he turned his focus to composting in 2001, only two of the western stores were diverting their organic materials, and those went to hog farmers. Wright contacted Community Recycling/Resource Recovery in Sun Valley, California, which had been processing organics for a number of supermarket chains at its industrial-scale composting facility south of Bakersfield. Over the past 10 years, Community Recycling has collected and composted 1.1 million tons of food residuals from the 1,290 stores it ser-vices. Tom will present “The Retailer’s Quandary”.

Steve MojoSteve is the Executive Director at the Biodegradable Products Institute. Steve specializes in Certification of compostable products and is an industry expert in environmental marketing claims and biodegradable materials. He will present “Labeling and identification of biodegradable materials”.

Robert horowitzRobert is a Senior Integrated Waste Management Specialist In the Statewide Technical and Analytical Resources Division for the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)Robert will present “Compost Emissions: Research and Regulatory Progress”.

Nadeem AfghanNadeem is President & CEO at Bioferm Energy Systems, Viessmann Group. Founded in the year 2001, BIOFerm GmbH is an energetic, rapidly growing company in the field of design, construction and operation of biogas plants. With its innovative, patented dry-fermentation process, biomass - i.e. any sort of organic, non-wood waste, whether from house-holds, agriculture or other areas - can be turned into clean, environmentally friendly energy. Nadeem will present “Challenges and Opportunities in Developing an Anaerobic Digestion Project”.

Eric Myers, Waste ManagementEric is currently employed as the Director of Organic Recycling Operations at Waste management and sits on the Board of Directors at Garick Corporation. He previously was Director of Operations for New England Organics for almost 10 years. Eric will present “Waste Management Grows its Organics Portfolio”.

Pat Millner, Ph. DDr. Millner is a Research Microbiologist for the USDA-ARSC. She has been involved in many biosolids and compost use research projects during her time with the USDA and has published or co-published many articles on these topics over the last 10 years. Pat will present “New USDA Rules May Affect Composters”.

Bob kenneyBob Kenney has 10 years of experience with Nova Scotia Environment as a solid waste-resource ana-lyst, and more recently as a business development recycling officer. He previously worked in the private sector on a variety of recycling, composting, and solid waste-related projects. Bob is currently focused on reducing Nova Scotia’s waste disposal rate to 300 kilograms per person, per year by 2015—one of the targets of the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act. Bob will present “Increasing Organics Diversion: Maximizing Residential and Business Sector Food and Yard Waste Diversion”.

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Envisioning the Future, and the Future is Now! The World’s Largest Conference and Exhibition for the Composting, Wood Waste, & Organics Recycling Industry

19th Annual Conference & Tradeshowhyatt Regency Santa Clara Santa Clara San josé, CA | january 24–27, 2010

The National Forum for those Involved in the Development and Expansion of the Composting and Organics Recycling Industry

CONFERENCE hIGhLIGhTS INCLUDE: An outstanding program featuring more than 100 educational & technical presentations on virtually every aspect of Composting & Compost Use: Organics Diversion Planning & Programs, Food Waste Collection, Anaerobic Digestion & Renewable Energy from Organics, Odors & Air Emissions, Regulations, Composting Education, In-vessel & Aerated Systems, Vermicomposting, Mortality & Biosolids Composting, Environmental & Traditional Markets, International Developments & the new Compostable Plastics Symposium p 13 pre-conference workshops & training courses p More than 100 Exhibitors at the Largest Exhibition of Composting and Organics Recycling equipment, products and services p “Live” Equipment Demonstrations by 25+ manufacturers and Facility tours of the Allied Waste’s Newby Island & Zanker Road Composting Facilities, “Tools of the Trade” workshop p The “experts corner”—one on one problem solving meetings; certification exams & CEU’s p Raffles & giveaways of thousands of $’s worth of USCC publications & much more. p Special Feature: Compostable Plastics Symposium. This special full day track will examine the status of compostable plastics, where they are working, what challenges are faced, and how the various stakeholders can work together to foster growth of the composting infrastructure. See Wednesday Program for details.

CONFERENCE PROgRAm TuEsdAy, JANuARy 25–ThuRsdAy, JANuARy 27

PRE-CONFERENCE TRAININg COuRsEs & WORkshOPs mONdAy, JANuARy 24

TuEsdAy, JANuARy 25

PLENARy sEssIONENVISIONING ThE ORGANICS MANAGEMENT FACILITY OF ThE FUTURE

A panel of leading composting and anaerobic digestion facility “developers” will present their visions on what organics management facilities will look like 5 to 10 years from now. Featured panelists include: Mike Sangiacomo, Recology p Paul Sellew, Harvest Power p Jerry Bartlett, Cedar Grove p Michele Young, San José

TRACk 1: INdusTRy gROWTh, REguLATIONs, ORgANIC AgRICuLTuRE mARkET IN CA

COMPOSTING INDUSTRY GROWTh

how to Grow the U.S. Composting Industry. Nora Goldstein, BioCycle, Emmaus, PA p Meeting the Challenges of a New Decade—An Update on the CA Composting Industry. Matt Cotton, IWM Consulting, Nevada City, CA p Waste Management Grows its Organics Portfolio. Eric Myers, Waste Management, Houston TX

REGULATIONS AND CARBON CREDITS

New USDA and FDA Rules May Affect Composters. Pat Millner, USDA, Beltsville, MD p how Can Permitting Encourage More Organics Diversion and Composting? Terry Keene, Barton & Loguidice Camp Hill, PA p Model State Composting Regulations. Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Washington, DC p Climate Action Reserve Protocol for Organic Waste Composting. Max DuBuisson, Climate Action Reserve, Los Angeles, CA

SELLING COMPOST TO CERTIFIED ORGANIC FARMS: ThE IMPACT OF CA AB 856

Do you sell compost into certified organic agriculture? Do you want to? AB 856 cre-ated a number of sweeping changes in how compost can be sold into organic agri-culture. This session will provide a background on AB 856, describe the changes to CA law and describe what composters have to do if they want to sell compost into certified organic agriculture.

Implementing AB 856. Asif Mann or Amadou Ba, California Department of Food & Agriculture p OMRI’s Perspective on AB 856. Organic Materials Review Institute representative p how and Why Organic Growers Use Compost. Michael Brautovich, Earthbound Farms.

TRACk 2: FOOd REsIduALs ANd INCREAsEd dIvERsION

FOOD RESIDUALS 1

San Francisco’s Mandatory Food Composting Collection Experience. Jack Macy, City & County of San Francisco Department of the Environment, San Francisco, CA p Overcoming Barriers to Increased Commercial, Residential, and Institutional Recycling & Composting of Food Residuals. Mike Manna, Organic Recycling Solutions, Manchester, NJ p Parallel Universe: Emerging Interest in Food Scraps from Wastewater Utilities—Updates and Perspectives. Kendall Christiansen & Michael Keleman, Gaia Strategies, Brooklyn, NY p Enabling Community Stewards to Step Forward. Rod Muir, Sierra Club Canada, Toronto, Canada

FOOD RESIDUALS 2—COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY, SPECIAL EVENTS

Food Waste Composting at Goshen College. Lewis Naylor, David Zwier, Hannah Eberly and Glenn Gilbert, Goshen College, Goshen, IN p University of Michigan Campus-Wide Food Waste Composting Options Feasibility Study. Nicole Chardoul, Resource Recycling Systems, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI, and Tracy Artley, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI p Capturing Organics key to San josé’s Best in Class Approach to Greening Special Events. Donna Thurmon, City of San José, San José, CA p Seattle Mariners and Strategic Partnerships: A Success Story in Waste Diversion and Conservation. Michele Talucci, Pak-Sher, Kilgore, TX

AChIEVING INCREASED DIVERSION 1

Walmart’s Implementation of National Food Recycling Program. Bobby Fanning, Walmart, Bartonville, AK p Diversion and Conversion—Innovative Solutions for Commercial Organics. Michele Young, City of San José, San José, CA p Processing Innovations In San josé. Emily Hanson, GreenWaste Recovery, San José, CA p Auditing Route Participation: a Case Study. Brian Matthews, Alameda County, CA

Learn from the experts!New for 2011—Protecting Workers: Conducting Job Hazard Analysis for Composting Facilities p New for 2011—Challenges and Solutions for a Successful Food Waste Recycling Program p New for 2011—Compost Outreach: Best Practices in Compost Education Programs p New for 2011—Aspects of Facility Design: Design, Planning & Environmental Management p USCC Foundations of Composting p Aerated Static Pile Composting: Applications & Advancements p Compost Business Management p Compost Benefits & Usage in Vineyards: Growing Better Grapes, Recipes, Compost Applications & Compost Production p

Compost Use in Agriculture, Horticulture and Landscaping p New for 2011—Compost Sales and Marketing Workshop p New for 2011—Management of Odor Issues at Compost Facilities p New for 2011—When Bad Things Happen at Your Composting Facility—Imagining What Can Go Wrong and How You Can Recover p New for 2011—Compost Production for Food Safety

All full-day workshops (or two half-day workshops) include lunch. For workshop descriptions, instructors & agendas, visit www.compostingcouncil.org/conference/program.php

WEdNEsdAy, JANuARy 26

TRACk 3: ANAEROBIC dIgEsTION, RENEWABLE ENERgy, mORTALITy COmPOsTINg,

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

Challenges and Opportunities in Developing an Anaerobic Digestion Project. Nadeem Afghan, BIOFerm Energy Systems, Madison, WI p State of the Art of Anaerobic Digestion of Municipal Solid Waste in Europe in 2010. Luc DeBaere, Bruno Mattheeuws, and Norma Mc Donald, Organic Waste Systems, Dok Noord 4, BE p Anaerobic Digestion and/or Composting of Source Separated Organics; an Analysis of the Opportunities and Challenges of Combining These Technologies. Tim O’Neill, Engineered Compost Systems, Seattle, WA, and Mark Gould, CDM, Cambridge, MA p Incorporating high Solids Anaerobic Digestion into an Existing, Successful Composting Facility. Alexander MacFarlane and Jan Allen, Harvest Power, Waltham, MA

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

Developing an Organics to Energy Program: Parallel Track Approach to Maximize Benefits. Zeynep Erdal, CH2M HILL, Santa Ana, CA, Peter Klein, St. Paul Port Authority, St. Paul, MN; Doug Lubben, John Borghesi, CH2M HILL, Mendota Heights, MN, and Marty Reif, CH2M HILL, Chantilly, VA p Renewable Energy from Organics: Thermal Energy Recovery from In-Vessel Aerobic Composting. Joshua Nelson and Brian Jerose, Agrilab Technologies, LLP, Pawlet, VT p Methods of Recovering and Utilizing Renewable Energy and Compost from Post-Consumer Organic Materials. George M. Savage and Luis F. Diaz CalRecovery, Inc., Concord, CA p Leveraging Regional Assests for Energy Conversion Initiatives. Jo Zientek, City of San José, San José, CA

MORTALITY COMPOSTING, COMPOSTABILITY TESTING

Assessing the Fate of Barbiturates and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Composted Livestock Mortality. Jean Bonhotal and Mary Schwarz, Cornell Waste Management Institute, Ithaca, NY p Air Emissions from In-Vessel Rotating Drum & Open Static Pile Composting of Swine Carcasses, Whole and Ground. Dale Rozeboom, C. Fogiel, Z. Liu, and W.J. Powers, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI p Compostable Products: The Past, Present and Future, What Every Composter Needs to know. Michelle Riggs, Cedar Grove Composting, Seattle, WA

TRACk 4 EmIssIONs, BIOPLAsTICs, EduCATION

AIR EMISSIONS AND ODOR CONTROL

Speciation, Ozone Formation Potential and Mitigation of VOCs from Compost. Peter G. Green, Anuj Kumar, Isabel Faria, Univ. Calif. at Davis, Davis, CA, Robert Horowitz, CA Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, Sacramento, CA p Compost Emissions: Research and Regulatory Progress. Robert Horowitz, CA Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery, Sacramento, CA p Getting Odors Under Control at an Expanding Large Scale Aerated Static Pile Biosolids Composting Facility. Tim O’Neill, Engineered Compost Systems, Seattle, WA p Benefits Resulting from the Implementation of a Real Time Odor Impact Management System. Thierry Pagé, Odotech Inc., Montreal, Canada

BIOPLASTIC INNOVATIONS AND CASE STUDIES IN EXPANDED USES

Bioplastics and Managing Post Consumer Feedstock Streams. Debra Darby and Robert Whitehouse, Mirel Bioplastics by Telles, Lowell, MA p Compostable Thermoplastic Starch/Biodegradable Polyester Polymer Blends. Edwin Tam, Greg Anderson Teknor Apex Company, Pawtucket, RI, Dr. Basil Favis, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, Pierre Sarazin, Cerestech, Montreal, Canada p Extensive Use of Compostable Shopping Bags in Italy: Synergy and Integration between Retail Sector and Residential Organics Collection Programs. Christian Garaffa, Novamont SpA, Novaro, Italy p Biodegradation of Compostable Plastic Snack Bags With Metallized Coating in Green-Yard Waste and Food Waste Compost. Joseph Greene, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA

EDUCATION

Education As the key to Social Change: Compost Systems at Schools, Retreat Centers and jail. Rick Kaye, The Compost Club, Healdsburg, CA p Terra Loam, the Living Soil: Compost Education for Primary & Secondary Grades. Meribeth Sullivan, Waukesha County Recycling Specialist, Waukesha, WI p Applying Vulnerability Analysis to Composting Facilities: Assessing Vulnerability and Planning for Recovery. Nellie J. Brown, Cornell University-ILR, Buffalo, NY p An Analysis of Nigerian high School Students’ Attitude towards Conservation of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. George Oladele and Abdulah Ismaila, Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke, Osun, Nigeria

TRACk 1: COmPOsT QuALITy, mARkETINg ANd usE

COMPOST QUALITY, URBAN MARkET DEVELOPMENT

Characterizing Compost and Anaerobic Digester Products. Ron Alexander, R. Alexander Associates, Inc, Apex, NC p CO2 Respiration of Composts: Volumetric vs Gravimetric Methods and Relevancy to Intended Use. William Brinton, Woods End Laboratories, Mt Vernon, ME p Compost Market Development in Urban Areas. Sally Brown, College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

COMPOST BENEFITS

Using Compost to Improve Water Quality. David Crohn, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA p Compost Effect on Wood Quality of Eucalyptus SRWCS. Donald Rockwood, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL p Potential of Compost in Improvement of Agroforestry in Nigeria. Badejo Yetunde, Onawumi O.A, Adeoluwa O.O, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria

MARkETING

Compost Cures the Planet and other well founded Truths of Marketing Compost. Kathryn Kellogg, Kellogg Garden Products, Carson, CA p The Ultimate key to Compost Marketing Success. Tom Kelley, Harvest Power, Inc., Waltham, MA p Position and Market Your Product(s) to Fully Leverage your Identified Market Segment(s) and Optimize Sales Objectives. David Hill, CycleLogic, Bethesda, MD p The Psychology of Compost Sales. Ron Alexander, R. Alexander Associates, Inc, Apex, NC

COMPOST USE

New Compost BMP Design Manual for Sustainable Storm Water Management. Britt Faucette, Filtrexx International, Decatur, GA p Impact of Compost on Biological Control of Plant Diseases. Onawumi Olufisayo, Federal College Of Forestry Ibadan Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria p Expanding the Compost Producer’s Residential Lawn Market. Daniel Cote, Ecolawn, Norton, VT p Effect of Gliricidia sepium Leaf Litter and Poultry Manure Compost on the Growth of jatropha Curcas. O.P. Duyilemi and D.K.A. Shodeke, Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Nigeria

TRACk 2: TOOLs OF ThE TRAdE, COmPOsT sysTEm dEvELOPmENTs, BIOsOLIds TREATmENT ANd usE

TOOLS OF ThE TRADE

A look at a wide range of field tools and facility procedures you can use for monitor-ing moisture, temperature, gases, odors, ph, blower performance and compost quality. Jeff Gage, Compost Design Services, Olympia, WA

COMPOST SYSTEMS 1: AERATED STATIC PILES

Spotsylvania County’s Expanded Composting Facility Applies Aerated Static Pile Technology Advances. Todd Williams, CH2M HILL, Mechanicsville, VA p Living & Learning With ASP Systems. Michael Bryan-Brown, Green Mountain Technologies, Bainbridge Island, WA, and Jeff Gage, Compost Design Services, Olympia, WA p Benefits of Positive Forced Aerated Static Pile Composting. John T. Bouey, Managed Organic Recycling, Oakland, CA, and Dr. Eliot Epstein, Epstein Environmental Consultants, Stoughton, MA

BIOSOLIDS COMPOSTING SYSTEMS AND PRODUCT USE

Potty Talk: Applying Public & Stakeholder Engagement Lessons from Wastewater to Your Technical and Land Use Projects. Jennifer Garnett, City of San José, Environmental Services Dept., San José, CA p Composting Systems Technologies —Building a Regional, World Class Composting Facility in Response to Increased Urban Challenges. Jeff Ziegenbein, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Rancho Cucamonga, CA p Utilizing Aerated Static Pile (Asp) and Biofiltration Composting Technology for Biosolids Composting to Meet Air Quality Regulations in the San joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District—a Case Study. Lorrie Loder, Synagro Technologies, LLC, Taft, CA p Development of a Biosolids Composting Facility While Meeting Strict 503 Compliance Standards for PFRP and VAR. Katja Christof, W.L. Gore & Associates GmbH, Putzbrunn, Germany

COMPOST SYSTEMS 2: AERATED WINDROWS, MBT AND AGITATED BAYS

Continuous Flow Aerated Windrow Composting for Large Waste Volumes. John Paul, Transform Compost Systems Ltd, Abbotsford, Canada p News from MBT

Meet with Equipment Vendors and Service Providers at the Largest Industry Tradeshow in North America p Exhibitors Reception p USCC Awards Luncheon—Keynote Presentation by Eugene Rosow, Producer of DIRT! The Movie p Sustainable Business Tour p Zero Waste Reception Sponsored by the BPI p “Expert’s Corner”—schedule one-on-one problem solving meetings with leading experts p USCC/SWANA Certification Exam for Manager of Compost Programs p Raffles of $5,000 worth of USCC Publications & more . . .

NETWORkINg & OThER OPPORTuNITIEs JAN 25–27

Barcelona, Spain: Commissioning, Testing and Operation. Michael Herken, Taim Weser Gmbh, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany p Mechanically Enhanced Biodrying of Biosolids Using the Agitated Bay Composting System. Richard Nicoletti, Siemens Water Technologies, Inc, Shrewsbury, MA, Lewis Naylor, Apple Environmental Services, James Taylor, Town of Merrimack, NH

TRACk 3: vERmICOmPOsTINg, INTERNATIONAL dEvELOPmENTs, INCREAsINg dIvERsION

VERMICOMPOSTING

The Status of Vermicomposting in North America. Rhonda L. Sherman, NC State University, Dept. of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Raleigh, NC p Large Scale Vermicomposting of Agricultural By-Products. Thomas Herlihy and Shawn Ferro, Worm Power, Geneseo, NY p Assessment of Appropriateness of Vermi-Based Technologies in the Philippines. Marilou J. Ang Lopez, School of Technology, Miagao, Philippines

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 1

Compost for Soils: a National Industry and Market Development Program for Australia. Peter Wadewitz and Angus Johnston, Compost Australia, Wilunga, Australia p Environment Impact of Emissions from Compost in Nigeria. A Adesida, Federal College of Technology, Ibadan, Nigeria p Composting as a Sanitation Alternative in Post-Earthquake haiti. Joseph Jenkins, Joseph Jenkins, Inc., Grove City, PA

AChIEVING INCREASED DIVERSION 2, LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS

Development of Environmental Markets for Food Waste Diversion Projects. Scott Subler, Environmental Credit Corp, State College, PA p MSW Composting Drives San josé’s Apartment Recycling Program to Zero Waste. Jeff Anderson, City of San José, San José, CA p Public health Through Urban Farming, and Digestion at Little Earth: a Minneapolis Public housing Project. John Madole, Madole Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, MN p Total Economic Value of Compost—Results of a Life-Cycle Financial Analysis on Composting and the Use of Compost. Christopher Bradlee, Thomas Laginess, Keith Edwards, BASF Corporation, Ypsilanti, MI

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 2

Increasing Organics Diversion: Maximizing Residential and Business Sector Food & Yard Waste Diversion. Bob Kenney, Nova Scotia Environment, Halifax, Canada p Using Organic Waste for Soil Creation in Land Restoration —Uk Case Studies. Paul Gibbs, Andy Whorton, Mike Holt and Jon Smith, 4Recycling Ltd., Garforth GB p Comperative Evaluation of Different Composting Methods for Municipal Solid Wastes in Istanbul. Osman A. Arikan, Tuba Isık, Deniz I. Çifçi, Mahmut A ltınbas, Senol Yıldız, Izzet Öztürk, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey p Implementation of Swedish Experience in Organic Residual in Situ Composting Strategies for Communities. Claude Beaulé, Vertal, Inc., L’Ile-Bizard, Canada

TRACk 4 COmPOsTABLE PLAsTICs symPOsIum

The types, products and uses of compostable plastics are growing, bringing great possibilities, significant challenges, and a lot of uncertainty. We are hosting this

“conference-in-a-conference” to educate and foster an informed dialog on this important topic. Attend one session or stay all day!

COMPOSTABLE PLASTICS 101

Overview and context, types of materials (compostable vs. biodegradable vs. recyclable). Steve Davies, Natureworks LLC p White paper results: regulations, standards and other issues. Scott Smithline, Californians Against Waste

IDENTIFICATION AND STANDARDS

Labeling and Identification. Steve Mojo, BPI p The Science Behind Compostable Plastics & the ASTM Standards. Ramani Narayan, Michigan State University p how are Compostable Plastics Viewed Under the National Organic Program. Bill Wolf, Organic Trade Association p The Composter’s Response. Jerry Bartlett, Cedar Grove

CASE STUDIES

Matching Biobased Products With Successful Composting. Heeral Bhalala, Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative/Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Washington, DC p Utilization of BPI Approved Compostable Bags for the Advancement of Residential Source Separated Organics (kitchen) Diversion—Canadian Case Studies Experience & Lessons Learned. Dave Douglas, VisonQuest p Focus on Special Events Mary Munat, Green Mary p The Retailer’s Quandary. Tom Wright, Whole Foods

MOVING FORWARD: DEVELOPING AN ACTION PLAN

The USCC is developing a Council-sponsored work group to develop an action plan for addressing the challenges related to plastics and compostability. This round-table session will summarize key points from the day’s sessions with perspectives from across the Compostable Plastic’s Life Cycle: Manufacturer, User, Collector, Composter and Certifier. Attendees will want to be part of this conversation to help set a course to be followed by the Council work group for the development of: Appropriate Product standards p Realistic Composting Parameters p Applicable Product Identification p Collaboration among stakeholders, including USCC members, compostable product manufacturers, analytical labs and government agencies

ThuRsdAy, JANuARy 27

“Live” Equipment Demonstrations & Facility Tours at the Newby Island & Zanker Road Composting Facilities

CURRENT CONFERENCE SPONSORS City of San José / City of Santa Clara / Waste Handling & Equipment News (WHEN) / The Biodegradable Products Institute / MSW Management Magazine / Environmental Credit Corporation / Portable Plants and Equipment / Resource Recycling Magazine / Vermeer Corporation / BioCycle Magazine / Composting News / Recycling Product News / Waste Management / Allied Waste/Republic Services / Z Best Products / BASF/EcoFlex / Heritage Bag / Alameda County Waste Management Authority / Scarab Manufacturing & Leasing / Green Roofs for Healthy Cities / Peninsula Compost Company / BIOgroupUSA (Biobag) / Supreme International / KOMPTECH USA Inc / Gore Cover Systems / American Recycler / Nature Works, LLC / Harvest Power / A-1 Organics / Ecosafe 6400 Compostable Bags / Soil & Mulch Producer News / Kellogg Garden Products / Mirel Bioplastics by Telles / Cedar Grove Packaging / REOTEMP Instruments / Bradco Environmental / Midwest Bio-Systems / St. Louis Composting / Amadas Industries / WeCare Organics / ALLU Group / ROTO-Mix / Glad Bag / Resource Recovery Systems International—KW Composters / California Organics Recycling Council (CORC) / SPI Bioplastics Council / Kessler Consulting

US COMPOSTING COUNCIL 1 Comac Loop, Suite 14B1 | Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 | T 631.737.4931 | F 631.737.4939 | uscc@compostingcouncil.org

REgIsTER TOdAy Go to www.compostingcouncil.org and visit the conference section, or call the USCC at 631.737.4931. Exhibitor information, information about sponsorship opportunities, conference registration forms, workshop agendas and conference program are all available online.

hOTEL INFORmATIONhyatt RegencyCall 1.800.233.1234 and ask for the USCC conference rate: $129 single/double/night. Room block is filling up fast & will be released Dec 31, 2010.

Registration Form / 19th Annual Conference & Tradeshow Hyatt Regency | Santa Clara San José, CA | January 24–27, 2011

Name / Phone / Fax /

Company / Address /

City / State/Province / Country / ZIP/Postal Code /

Email / Website address /

Emergency Contact Information Name / Phone /

Not a member? Join the US Composting Council today and save $’s on your conference registration fee! See the USCC website to download membership application at www.compostingcouncil.org

hotel Information / Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara, CA

1.800.233.1234 | Ask for USCC conference rate. $129 single/double/night. Room block will be released Dec 31, 2010. Reserve now!

member/non-member

P NEW. Protecting Workers: Conducting Job hazard Analysis for $145 / $195 Composting Facilities 8:00 am–12:00 pm / Instructor: Nellie J. Brown

P NEW. Challenges & solutions for a successful Food Waste $145 / $195 Recycling Program 8:00 am–12:00 pm / Instructor: Michael Manna

P usCC Foundations of Composting $195 / $245 8:30 am–4:30 pm / Instructors: Dr. Robert Rynk & Matt Cotton

P Composting Business management $195 /$245 8:30 am–4:30 pm / Instructors: Craig Coker, Tom Spiggle & Andrew Kessler

P Compost Benefits and usage in vineyards: growing Better grapes, $195 / $245 Recipes, Compost Applications and Compost Production 8:30 am–4:30 pm / Instructor: Bob Shaffer

P NEW. Compost Outreach: Best Practices in Compost $145 / $195 Education Programs 8:30 am–12:00 pm / Instructor: Stan Slaughter

member/non-member

P NEW. Aspects of Facility design: Planning, system selection and $145 / $195 Environmental management 8:30 am–12:00 pm / Instructor: Dr. Eliot Epstein

P Compost sales and marketing Workshop $145 / $195 9:00 am–3:00 pm / Instructor: Ron Alexander

P Compost use in Agriculture, horticulture and Landscaping $195 / $245 9:00 am–4:00 pm / Instructors: Dr. Monica Ozores-Hampton, Dr. Donald Rockwood, Dr. Ronald French-Monar.

P Aerated static Pile Composting: Applications and Advancements $195 / $245 9:00 am–3:00 pm / Instructor: Peter Moon

P management of Odor Issues at Compost Facilities $145 / $195 1:00–5:00 pm / Instructor: Jeff Gage

P NEW. Compost Production for Food safety $145 / $195 1:00–4:30 pm / Instructors: Johnny Massa & Mike Villaneva

P NEW. When Bad Things happen at your Composting Facility— $145 / $195 Imagining What Can go Wrong and how you Can Recover 1:00–5:00 pm / Instructor: Nellie J. Brown

Pre-conference Training & Workshops jan. 24 [lunch included with full-day or two half-day workshops]

Conference Fees jan. 25–27 | includes sessions, session abstracts, exhibits, breakfasts, refreshment breaks, Exhibitors Reception & Equipment Demonstrations & Tours

TOTAL PAYMENT [US] / $ Date /

Method Of Payment

P Check (enclosed) P Credit Card (VISA / MC / AMEX) P Money Order

Credit Card number / Exp. date /

Name on card /

Signature /

Mail payment (check/credit card/money order) to the address below or fax the com-pleted form to 631.737.4939

CANCELLATION POLICy Cancellation notices must be made in writing (office fax 631.737.4939). Refunds of full fee, less $50 administrative fee, will be made only if notice of cancellation is received by january 5, 2011. No refund will be granted after January 5, 2011. Please call the USCC Office at 631.737.4931 to confirm receipt of cancellation.

us COmPOsTINg COuNCIL1 Comac Loop, Suite 14B, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 T 631.737.4931 / F 631.737.4939 email: uscc@compostingcouncil.org / web: www.compostingcouncil.org

Payment

P Member Rate prior to Dec 24 $375

P Member rate after Dec 24 $395

P Non-Member rate prior to Dec 24 $445

P Non-Member rate after Dec 24 $495

P Conference Speaker Rate $250

P Awards Luncheon (Wednesday) $25

P Check for vegetarian meal at luncheon

P Check if attending the Exhibitors Reception [Tues.] included in conference registration

P Check if attending BPI Zero Waste Reception [Wed.] included in conference registration

Equipment demos & Facility Tours jan. 27 [included in fee]

P Check if attending composting equipment demonstrations & facility tours at the Newby Island Compost Facility (7:30 am–3:30 pm)

Exam jan. 26, 3:30–6:30 pm

Certification Exam for Manager of Compost Programs

P USCC or SWANA members $175

P Non-Members $300

22 Compost Communicator

We’ve published just a few abstracts gleaned from many excellent presentations planned for the 19th Annual USCC Conference & Tradeshow. The following selections represent the broad scope of topics that will be presented at the 2011 conference. A list of other preliminary presentation sessions can be found on the USCC website at www.compostingcouncil.org and in this newsletter.

Total Economic Value of Compost—Results of a Life-Cycle Financial Analysis on Composting & the Use of Compost Christopher Bradlee, Thomas Laginess & Keith Edwards, BASF CorporationThe purpose of this study was to determine the financial value of composting and the use of compost. Compost is known to have significant environmental benefits and this study quantified the economic benefits considering the life-cycle financial impacts. Direct and indirect costs were determined for com-posting and economic value was calculated for the following; reduced agricultural impacts, increased yield response, extend the service life of landfills, LEED green building and construction, bioremedia-tion projects.

Using Compost to Improve Water Quality David Crohn, Ph.D., University of California, RiversideThe initial costs of California wildfires commonly exceeds hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Subsequent environmental damage, including most prominently soil erosion and water pollution, can cost much more. Fires eliminate vegetation leaving soil particles exposed to the energy of falling precipi-tation. Under some circumstances, hydrophobic condensates from burning materials can increase runoff by decreasing the soil’s infiltration capacity. Unimpeded by vegetation or associated duff, dis-lodged soil particles flow off of slopes as sediments, carrying with them nutrients, trace metals and other pollutants. Construction activity also eliminates vegetation and can compact soils, increasing runoff and associated vegetation. The research from two recently completed studies showed that compost use can substantially reduce runoff and associated pol-lutant loads, including sediments, nutrients, heavy metals and salts.

how to Grow the U.S. Composting Industry Nora Goldstein, Biocycle MagazineThe window of opportunity for composting in the U.S. is wide open, yet as an industry, composting has struggled to gain a significant foothold as the go-to solution for organic waste management. This presen-tation provides economic and infrastructure statistics on the current U.S. composting industry, then maps out the strategic steps for growth in the next decade.

MSW Composting Drives San josé’s Apartment Recycling Program to Zero Waste Jeff Anderson, City of San JoséIncreasing recycling at apartments has challenged municipalities throughout the country for several rea-sons: lack of space, no financial incentive, high resi-dent turnover and inconsistent property management. San José’s program is a unique collaboration between government, private haulers, property managers

and the local chapter of the California Apartment Association. This session will explore this successful program in detail and describe how the combination of back-end processing with traditional recycling efforts results in a total multi-family diversion rate of nearly 80%, making San José’s the best performing multi-family recycling program in the nation.

Compost for Soils: a National Industry & Market Development Program for Australia Peter Wadewitz & Angus Johnston, Compost AustraliaAustralia is breaking new ground in cooperative market development for recycled organic products

by harnessing partnerships between industry and government to deliver services and resources for market education and industry development through a national, industry driven, program. The Compost for Soils Program and branding was developed in South Australia from 2007 and was nationalized in 2009. Cooperative action is facilitated by Market & Industry Development Officers (MIDO) who are funded by gov-ernment and employed through the association. The Program designed to inform specific end-user groups on the benefits and uses of compost.

2011 USCC Conference Sneak Preview(s)

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 during the Compost Council’s 19th

Celebrate the BPI’s 11th anniversary with drinks, free hors

The US Composting Council is bringing its Compost Operations Training Course to Southern California

p 40-hr, 5-day course includes lectures, hands-on activities and field trips p Focus on the knowledge and skills to run a successful composting facility p Taught by leading composting professionals and educators p See photos from the first two classes at www.flickr.com/photos/compostingcouncil/

Save the DateMarch 7–11, 2011UCR Extension1200 University Ave.Riverside CA 92507–4596

As a proud coAs a proud coAs a proud co---host ofhost ofhost of the the the 2011 US Composting Council Conference2011 US Composting Council Conference2011 US Composting Council Conference

WELCOME TO SAN JOSÉ A Municipal Leader in Organics Management

Visit us on-line at www.urbancompost.com or come see us at the conference in January

We look forward to sharing program successes and visions for the future with you.

− Public Private Partnerships − Technology Innovations − Highest & Best Use

− Contractual Diversion Requirements − Processing Infrastructure

24 Compost Communicator

This feature is not intended to provide detailed and thorough answers to the questions or issues raised. They can be found, in some cases, by examining the volumes of compost science research. The edited dialogs printed are just that, with some answers yet to be determined. This section is presented to provide a summary of the thoughts and suggestions of those who participated in an exchange that generated much interest and many responses.

Questions 1I’m trying to find out if there is anyone out there that has added sulfur to compost or anaerobic digestate in order to reduce its ph. Any success out there?

2I would like to know if there is anyone using Sulfur to lower ph of an initial mixture of materials in com-posting to avoid the Nitrogen loss and facilitate the Phosphorus’ release from a phosphatic rock.

Responses 1I have used the addition of sulfur to lower the pH of potting soil mixtures that contain up to 50% compost. It works very well. It should be noted that the addition of sulfur will increase the soluble salt (EC) levels. I find that 2 pounds of sulfur per cubic yard reduces the

pH by 1 to 1.5 units, depending on the components of the mix. Use powdered sulfur for a quick response. Use flaked or “split pea” sulfur for a longer lasting and even effect.

2You may recall that Frank Gouin (and we) tested adding sulfur to the DC compost which had a lot of lime in it to make it more favorable for azalea. He confirmed what is well understood, that it takes a long time for microbes to oxidize all the sulfur. And it is complicated to try to use the measureable CaCO3 equivalent to estimate the amount of sulfur needed. It took months for the sulfur to be oxidized, even “flowers of sulfur” (or powdered), and prilled was not worth waiting on. If you don’t wait until the sulfur is consumed, it gets a lot more acidic after you made the product and could induce Al toxicity when pH drops below 5.2. I suggest you find a market that needs the limestone equivalent along with the other compost properties and sell the added value. A lower rate of application as a joint limestone-organic fertilizer of P or N would work well.

3At late stage of the composting, the pH in the pile may be high up to 8.5 and cause nitrogen loss in the compost. EM (Effective or Efficient Microorganisms with pH 4) would reduce pH in the pile. The other benefits using EM are:

p Inoculate beneficial microorganisms in the compost

p Add/keep nutrient in the compost (EM been used as liquid fertilizer for organic farmers)

p Control Odors

4Sulfur, by itself will not acidify. It must first be con-verted to sulfuric acid by the bacillus thio-thiooxidans. If the animal is not present, and the temps at which compost is generated will kill it (50 C), you must introduce it with the sulfur. Also, for the bacteria to work rapidly, particles of sulfur should under 0.3mm (essentially dust). From my point of view, not a satis-factory approach. You could use the dregs (powder) of ammonium sulfate storage bins from fertilizer dealers’ storage locations. This material is semi-waste as it can not be easily applies with conventional field spreading equipment. If you can obtain material, dilute it in water (test to see how much to use for desired result). then apply through your water system making sure to drain and wash thoroughly. Avoid brass fittings and discuss with fertilizer dealer. Finally, only apply once curing has been completed: application during composting will halt the process and may halt organic acid formation.

You must also consider soil pH this will be applied on. The fertilizer dealer can give you guidance, possibly

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19th Annual Conference and Tradeshow / 24–27 january, 2011 25

cooperation and advise other additives which may be mixed with the final compost to yield a more neutral product.

5If you need only a small pH adjustment, and if it is legal in your area, how about adding coffee grounds instead of sulfer? Local farmers who currently use acidic fertilizer and sulfuric acid to lower soil pH for the cultivation of blueberries documented their preference for using the 3,000 tons per year of coffee

grounds generated by a local facility. Fruit Growers Laboratory tested these coffee grounds at a pH of 5.46, direct from the factory where a coffee drink is made. A 50% blend of these coffee grounds with compost, tested separately by FGL, had a 6.7 pH. Unfortunately, while it is legal to apply chemicals like sulfuric acid, it is still illegal to land apply cof-fee grounds, which are considered “food waste” in California regulations. Please let me know if you can help the Ventura County Recycling Market

Development Zone, local farmers, and our partners lift unnecessary restrictions on the land application of coffee grounds.

6I read an abstract in which the sulfur was used to control the pH, during the composting of olive mill wastes. (Chemosfere Volume 57, Issue 9, December 2004, Pages 1099–1105, December 2004, pages 1099–1105).

I thought about doing the same with pulp mill wastes. It’s a residue with a high cellulose content and pH too high, but very low levels of nitrogen and phosphorus (for a more balanced product, I add urea and do an injection with EM—Efficient Microorganisms). I also thought of putting rock phosphate to increase phospho-rus content, but with this high pH, the solubili-zation would be very small. I also thought about doing an acid hydrolysis with phosphoric acid, but the process is expensive and laborious, and the danger of working with acid.

I thought of adding sulfur, which would be transformed (by oxidation through the action of microorganisms) to sulfuric acid during the composting process, thus lowering the pH and probably with a smaller loss of nitrogen in ammonia form and we would get more soluble phosphorus in the compost. I think that using elemental sulfur the cost would be lower, and safer handling. What do you think about this?

26 Compost Communicator

Legislative Update

Florida DEP The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is now requiring that biosolid’s compost producers in Florida either enroll in the USCC’s STA Program or register their compost as a fertilizer. This is the first time in STA Program history that a regulatory agency has taken this position. It is a significant step forward for STA Program evolution. A similar movement is also happening in the Midwest.

The specific regulatory section pertaining to this new requirement reads as follows: “biosolids composts that are distributed and marketed outside of the Lake Okeechobee, St. Lucie River, and Caloosahatchee River watersheds, as defined in Section 373.4595, F.S., do not have be to distributed and marketed as a fertilizer if the biosolids compost product is enrolled and certified under the U.S. Composting Council’s (USCC) Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) program”

Eliminating the requirement for fertilizer registration is a significant time, paperwork and dollar savings to

Florida’s biosolid’s compost producers. It is antici-pated that all of the compost producers impacted by the regulation will enroll in the STA program in the near future.

Lawmakers to Override a Dozen vetoes this month—Florida Yard Waste Landfill Ban in jeopardy!The two incoming leaders of the Florida Legislature plan to spend their first day on the job overriding Gov. Charlie Crist’s vetoes of a dozen bills and spending items, the first such rebukes lawmakers have handed a governor since 1997. Overriding the veto of HB 569 would benefit landfill operators by allowing local gov-ernments to put yard trash in landfills where it is cur-rently banned. In a recent news conference, they said they saw no reason to wait until the spring session to resurrect bills that had mostly unanimous approval.

“It’s very rare when you have something overwhelm-ingly pass like [these bills], and then there’s a veto. Very rare,” one new legislator said, adding, “We think the governor’s made a bad decision . . . Once we take

these off the table we can focus on jobs, jobs, jobs, because that’s what the people really care about.”

Energy and Climate DebateThe midterm elections are history and candidates of both parties must renew their focus on a number of important energy and environmental issues to keep in mind as the lame duck session nears. Regardless of election results, Congress returned on November 15. They may move forward with a tax bill, an omnibus appropriations measure, and perhaps Majority Leader Harry Reid’s natural gas and electric vehicles legisla-tion. To these vehicles, several pieces of energy legis-lation may be attached. These may also go on another piece of legislation that moves forward, be included in the omnibus appropriations legislation (perhaps as a trade off for a two year delay to the EPA’s regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act), or may even pass as stand-alone measures.

www.peninsula-compost.com (401) 398-8417

Converting Organic Waste into a Sustainable ResourceThe Wilmington Organic Recycling Center is the most state-of-the-art, large scale commercial food and yard waste composting facility serving the New York City to Baltimore market areas.

The Wilmington Organic Recycling Center is the most state-of-the-art, large scale commercial food and yard waste composting facility serving the New York City to Baltimore market areas.

19th Annual Conference and Tradeshow / 24–27 january, 2011 27

In The News

Compostable Plastics Symposium

“Is this cup compostable?” From this simple ques-tion on a list serve has arisen an entire track at the conference. The California Organics Recycling Council (CORC) and the SPI Bioplastics Council are partnering with the USCC to develop this day-long Compostable Plastics Symposium. The goals of the symposium are to first educate composters and other attendees on the array of polymers and products that are on the market, second to examine the issues sur-rounding these products, especially from the compos-ter’s perspective, and finally to map out a strategy and launch a working group to address the issues.

Why have compostable plastics? The goal is simple. Take what is now a contaminant at our compost yards and replace it with a material that is not only a feedstock in it’s own right but more importantly allows access to other valuable feedstocks, especially food residuals. What are the issues? Labeling and enforcement are two. Some products are compostable but it’s almost impossible to distinguish them from the noncompostable products they are supposed to replace. Other products may claim compostability but are not certified, so may not actually be compostable. Then there are the ones that are truly compostable but not within the processing time of the facility. That has led some to question whether the standards for compostability themselves need to be updated, a third issue. A fourth major issue is whether there can or should be processing standards for facilities that take these materials. Finally, there are questions around the impact these materials may have on marketing, especially if you sell to certified organic farms.

Featured speakers include; jerry Bartlett from Cedar Grove, Steve Davies from Natureworks, Ramani Narayan from MSU and Tom Wright from Whole Foods. CORC is commissioning a white paper on the topic, to provide background and layout the issues in detail, which will be available to all attendees. You can register for just the day of the Symposium, Wednesday, january 26, or for the full conference. For full conference info go to www.compostingcouncil.org/conference/

2010 WORC Annual Conference December 8 & 9, 2010

The WORC Annual Conference is focused on keeping the Green Clean! We know contamination in organic materials collected for composting is a problem—but how do we fix it? If we can solve the contamination problem, the results will be increased profits, safety, product quality, consumer confidence & compost markets.

We will cover collection, education programs, com-postable service ware, screening technologies, and compost quality & end use through a series of five panel sessions. This year’s featured speaker is jeff Gage of Compost Design Service. He will address The State of Industry: Opportunities & Challenges. Other

speakers include Bob Barnes (WA Department of Transportation), Thad Schutt (Royal Organic Products), Rita Smith (Waste Management), Suzanne Tresko (Spokane Regional Solid Waste), Allison Ruppenthal (Thurston County Solid Waste), Tom Walter (Pacific Rock and Recycle), Pat kaufman (Seattle Public Utilities) & Sarah Adams (Waste Connections).

WORC’s goals are to increase understanding and implementation of existing programs and technologies that can reduce contamination in incoming feedstocks and finished compost. You will also get the chance to network with some of the folks who make compost,

sell the equipment, design the education programs and compost systems, and implement the solid waste handling standards.

Join your compatriots on December 8 at The holiday Inn Express in Ellensburg Washington for the no-host membership dinner and awards ceremony, followed by a hosted President’s reception. The conference is December 9 at the Hal Holmes Center from 9 am–4 pm. Registration & additional information is available online at www.compostwashington.org

For all your recycling and recovery needs,

call Allied Waste at (408) 432-1234

www.alliedwastecco.com

The US Composting Council would like to thank the following companies for their generous support of the 19th Annual Conference

Double Gold: Contribution of $15,000–$19,999City of San José

Diamond: Contribution of $10,000–$14,999Waste Handling & Equipment News (WHEN)The Biodegradable Products InstituteMSW Management Magazine

Platinum: Contribution of $7,500–$9,999Environmental Credit Corporation Portable Plants and EquipmentResource Recycling Magazine Vermeer CorporationBioCycle MagazineComposting News

Gold: Contribution of $5,000–$7,499 Recycling Product NewsWaste ManagementAllied Waste/Republic ServicesZ Best ProductsBASF/EcoFlexHeritage Bag

Silver: Contribution of $2,500–$4,999Alameda County Waste Management Authority Scarab Manufacturing & LeasingGreen Roofs for Healthy CitiesPeninsula Compost CompanyBIOgroupUSA (Biobag)Supreme InternationalKOMPTECH USA IncGore Cover SystemsAmerican RecyclerNature Works, LLCHarvest PowerA-1 Organics

Bronze: Contribution of $1,000–$2,499Ecosafe 6400 Compostable BagsSoil & Mulch Producer NewsKellogg Garden ProductsMirel Bioplastics by TellesCedar Grove PackagingREOTEMP InstrumentsBradco EnvironmentalMidwest Bio-SystemsSt. Louis CompostingCity of Santa ClaraAmadas IndustriesWeCare OrganicsALLU GroupROTO-MixGlad Bag

Benefactor: Contribution between $500–$999Resource Recovery Systems InternationalCalifornia Organics Recycling Council (CORC)SPI Bioplastics CouncilKessler Consulting

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. The sooner you secure a sponsorship, the sooner your company name is linked to this unique event, and the more exposure you will receive! Take advan-tage of all the USCC promotional activities in the coming months and become a conference sponsor today!

Thank You Sponsors

City of Santa Clara

CORC

Glad Bag