Compost Facilities: Off-Site Air Emissions and Health

This summary has been compiled to help address concerns regarding the potential of air emissions from large-scale composting facilities to impact the health of neighbors. I have attempted to summarize and provide citations to all of the relevant journal articles and published governmental reports. Much of the available literature addresses on-site investigations that are relevant to worker health. Some of the literature on worker health is summarized here because of its relevance to neighbor impacts. However, no attempt has been made to comprehensively address worker health related to air emissions at compost facilities. A chapter in the up-dated On-Farm Composting Handbook (expected publication in 2007) will address worker health considerations. This summary does not include a comprehensive review of odor or volatile organic compound studies

Regulation and Certification of Composts

Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Science

Testing Composts

Issued 2004, updated 2015Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Science

Compost Bulking Materials Fact Sheet #5

Issued 2004, updated 2013Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Science

Marketing Composts and Meeting Consumer Needs

Issued 2004, updated 2015Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Science

Prevalence and Persistence of Pathogens in New York State Road-Kill Disposed of Through Composting: A Literature Review

Summary: Composting is being investigated by New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as a tool for managing road-killed animals in New York State, particularly white-tailed deer. As part of a project to evaluate the effectiveness of static pile composting to inactivate pathogens in road-killed carcasses, the Cornell Waste Management Institute conducted a literature review and consulted with experts to identify the pathogens that might be present and to assess their sensitivity to inactivation by heating.New York State Department of Transportatio