Composting at School Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

Jan. 13, 2015

Why Compost?

• Reduce waste requiring disposal• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and

sequester carbon in the soil (as humus)• Recycle nutrients and organic matter for

plants – great for gardens!• Saves money in avoided disposal costs

and reduced purchases of soil amendment• Great educational opportunity

How Much Compostable Material is in the Massachusetts Waste Stream? About 25%

Food Waste ; 15.2

Textiles ; 5.8

Compostable Paper ; 5.2

Wood – Treated ; 4.5Uncoated Corrugated Cardboard/Kraft Paper ;

4.4

Other Recyclable Paper ; 4.4

Carpet and Carpet Padding ; 4.1

Prunings, Trimings, Leaves and Grass ;

4.1

Bulky Materials ; 3.8

Other Film means plastic film ; 3.3

Other “brown goods”; 3.3

Bulk Rigid Plastic Items ; 3.1

Bio-Hazardous ; 2.9

Solid Waste Master Plan

• Food waste /other organics ~24% of disposal

• > 1 million tons per year (food, compostable paper, yard waste)

• Goal to divert add’l 350,000 tons/year of organics from disposal by 2020

• Funding for capacity development (esp. organics-to-energy projects)

Food Waste Disposal Ban• Food waste and vegetative material• Commercial/institutional generators that

dispose of 1 ton food waste or more per week

• Schools with fewer than 4,000 students are not likely to dispose 1 ton per week

• Ban effective October 1, 2014• Assistance available at

http://www.recyclingworksma.com

Applicable Regulations310 CMR 16 - Site Assignment

Regulations for Solid Waste Facilities

• Schools that compost on-site (of anything other than garden/yard waste) are exempt from permitting under the solid waste regulations (310 CMR 16.03(2)(c)2), but must:

• Notify their local Board of Health and regional office of MassDEP 30 days in advance of starting the program, as a “Small Composting Operation not at a Residence.”

• The notification form you may use is on the MassDEP website at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/service/approvals/notification-exempt-recycling-and-organics-management.html.

What can be composted?

• Anything that was once alive, including:• Food waste;• Paper and paper products (paper plates, napkins,

cardboard, coffee filters, etc.);• Yard waste – leaves, pine needles, grass clippings,

weeds, prunings, woodchips, sawdust;• Manure • Seaweed and the list goes on

but exactly which organic materials are composted depends on the composting system used.

How many ways are there to compost?

• Many, including:• On-site in bins, containers, buckets, worm bins,

and piles• Municipal and on-farm in windrows, piles or

drums• Commercial systems in enclosed containment

vessels• Aerobically, which produces CO2 and humus• Anaerobically, which produces CH4 (methane)

and happens inside our stomachs

Food Scraps

• Greater potential for odors than leaves and yard waste

• Fruit, vegetables – least odorous• Meat, dairy – more odorous and

pathogenic

Green Team Resources

Website – www.thegreenteam.org

FREE to Green Team Members:• Lesson plans and activities• Compost bins • Worms• Recycling equipment• Lending Library• Food Waste Reduction Guidance at

http://www.thegreenteam.org/recycling-facts/food-waste-reduction/

More Resources

Web Sites

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/recycle/reduce/composting-and-organics.html

http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/composting.htm

http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2718&q=325344&deepNav_GID=1645www.mastercomposter.com

Soil and Compost Testing LaboratoryUniversity of MassachusettsAmherst, MA 01003-8010413-545-2311; 413-545-1931 faxhttp://soiltest.umass.edu

Books• Minnich, J. and Marjorie Hunt. 1979. Rodale

Guide to Composting, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA

• Appelhof, Mary. 2000. Worms Eat My Garbage, 2nd Ed. Flower Press, Kalamazoo, MI.

Journals• Biocycle, pub. JG Press, Emmaus, PA.

• Organic Gardening, pub. Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA.

Contact InformationAnn McGovern

Mass. Dept of Environmental Protection

One Winter St.

Boston, MA 02108

617-292-5834

ann.mcgovern@state.ma.us

Sumner Martinson

617-292-5969

sumner.martinson@state.ma.us

MassDEP regional offices:

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/about/contacts/