Recycling Organics: Enhancing Compost Markets

US Environmental Protection Agency, Region

Master Composter Manual

This publication is divided into two sections. The first, "Master Composter Program Implementation Guide," is designed for program staff wishing to implement a Master Composter Program within a community. The second section, "Master Composter Resource Manual," is aimed at the Master Composter volunteer. It teaches the science of composting, illustrates methods for home composting, and contains detailed educational and outreach activities that can be conducted by Master Composters

Compost: Truth or Consequences

Video teaches the science behind the solutions. Using a quiz show format to present common questions, it shows home composters learning how to provide the right conditions for composting without problems.1_iczk2yn

Characterizing and Determining Beneficial Use of Paper Production Residuals that Otherwise Become Waste

Background: Paper mill residuals differ depending on the process and associated chemicals needed to create the paper for the intended use. Finch Paper, LLC operates a paper mill in Glens Falls, New York. Finch starts with logs and produces high quality printing paper. They use the ammonium bisulfite pulping process to produce pulp from wood chips. The wastewater treatment system treats about 16 to 20 million gallons of wastewater a day. This process generates around 190 cubic yards of Waste Water Treatment Residual (WWTR) per day. Most chemical pulp mills in the United States use the Kraft process to make pulp. That process uses sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide to make pulp from chips. As a result, Kraft WWTR contains a fair amount of sodium and sulfur. Finch’s process gives off a fair amount of nitrogen and sulfur. This indicates that the WWTR could have value as a fertilizer or as a valuable ingredient in compost. In an effort to recycle more organic materials, Finch Paper, LLC funded a two-year research project cooperatively with Cornell Waste Management Institute (CWMI), Cornell Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (CSS) with guidance from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM). The purpose of this research was to find potential beneficial uses for their WWTR. Three of the four potential beneficial uses investigated have been implemented.Finch Paper, LL

Fish/Shellfish Waste Composting

There's nothing worse than a pile of dead fish. Except maybe a pile of the leftover parts of dead fish: heads, tails, internal organs, and all that. Disposing of this waste can be a problem for anyone who cleans and processes fish, from big commercial food processors to small sport-fishing operations. This article gives information on composting fish/shellfish wast

Recycling Yard Waste: A Tour of Community Programs

35-minute video to help local officials and citizens make informed choices about managing municipal yard waste. These choices have been grouped into four scenarios using various community composting and chipping programs as representative examples to help communities identify the options available to them.Cornell Cooperative Extension, NYS Energy Research and Development Authority, Cornell Local Government Program, Cornell Dept of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell Dept of Biological and Environmental Engineering1_ik70m2t

Composting-How It Works / Easy On-site Composting! Posters

Jefferson County Cornell Cooperative Extensio