Municipal Composting Facilities
Composting, nature's original recycling system,...
is a cost-effective means of handling organic waste and an essential part of any successful solid waste management plan. It can greatly reduce landfill costs and create a valuable, organic product in the process. High-quality compost is an essential ingredient in any turf care program, and a valuable tool for all forms of horticulture, from tree-planting to maintenance of flower and ornamental beds.
Helping nature to make compost is not difficult. Gather the right materials in the right proportions, keep out contaminating matter (sticks, gravel, debris, animal waste), provide oxygen to aid in decomposition, and when it's done, return the compost to the soil. If your town is using the compost as topdressing for turf applications, consider having the compost tested to make certain it is finished.
Bloomfield, NJ, partnered with private company Java's Compost to provide free food scrap composting services, free to residents with registration.
Frederick, MD, offers free curbside composting to residents who sign up.
City by city, Hennepin County, MN, lists available composting options for municipal pick up or community drop off on their website.
In 2016, Missoula, MT, bought Garden City Compost from a private owner and, with grant money, has continued to upgrade the facility. They intend to become Montana's first zero-waste community.
In the first month of their free residential food waste drop-off program, the City of Perrysburg, OH, diverted over 1,500 pounds of food waste from the landfill.
In 2013, the Ulster County, NY, Resource Recovery Agency embarked on a composting initiative to increase its recycling rate and divert valuable organic material from landfill disposal.
The Las Virgenes, CA, Municipal Water District has a very successful Community Compost Bulk Loading Program.
In Washington, DC, the DC Parks and Recreation (DPR) Community Compost Cooperative Network currently has 50 cooperative compost sites with a capacity of 5,000 people actively composting or 50 tons of material a month with no operating costs and no carbon footprint. Currently there are more than 1,000 people composting around 20 tons a month in this network.
Resources
The US Composting Council is a trade and professional organization which promotes and provides information and resources for the growing composting industry.
The EPA has issued a report on the Life Cycle Inventory and Cost Model for Mixed Municipal and Yard Waste Composting.
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services produced this comprehensive fact sheet on Municipal Composting of Yard Waste.
The Natural Resources, Agriculture and Engineering Service published a book called Composting for Municipalities: Planning and Design Considerations. It is available for free download from the Cornell University website.
References
[1] Cornell Waste Management Institute. (2018). Compost and Composting. http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/composting.htm
[2] Ndegwa, P. M., & Thompson, S. A. (2001). Integrating composting and vermicomposting in the treatment and bioconversion of biosolids. Bioresource Technology, 76(2), 107-112.
[3] Evanylo, G. K., et al. (2015). Compost Practices for Improving Soil Properties and Turfgrass Establishment and Quality on a Disturbed Urban Soil. Compost Science & Utilization, 24(2), 136-145.
[4] Tognetti, C., et al. (2007). Improving the quality of municipal organic waste compost. Bioresource Technology, 98(5), 1067-1076.
[5] The California Integrated Waste Management Board. (2003). The Importance of Compost Maturity (Rep. No. 443-03-007). Sacramento, CA: CIWMB, 1-2.