Act 148: Food Scraps Banned from Landfill

Guest blogger Ali Drew

Find more information here from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation

The last phase of Act 148 is being implemented today, July 1st. This means that all food scraps are banned from the trash.

What do I need to do?

So you likely know that you have to collect your food scraps in a separate container from the rest of your trash. But what happens next?

You have 3 options:

Solar digester for food scraps

1. Compost in your yard:

   1. Compost bin: Food scraps (“greens”) and yard debris like leaves, dry grass, sawdust and chipped wood (“browns”) can be added to your compost bin. Adding carbon, or “browns” to your compost bin is essential to reduce odors and deter animals from your compost. This compost can be used as fertilizer for your garden!

   2. Solar digester: This green cone method allows you to simply add food scraps, and doesn’t require “browns” to be added. These digesters decompose food scraps almost entirely, so you will not end up with compost you can use in your garden.

2. Drop-off composting: You can drop off food scraps and yard debris at any transfer station or bag-drop in Vermont. Many compost facilities also have drop-off options. Check out these resources by The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation to learn more about services in your area: local Waste Management District or town & Materials Management Map.

3. Curbside pick-up: Ask your hauler if they offer leaf and yard debris or food scrap pick-up, or call or look at the website of a hauler on the statewide list of food scrap haulers. 

Why are food scraps being banned from the trash?

1. Vermont is running out of space to throw its trash in existing landfills, and building new landfills is very expensive.

2. Food scraps and yard debris make up almost 1/4 of a typical Vermont family’s waste, and at restaurants food scraps can be over half the waste. Keeping these materials out of the landfill has a big environmental impact.

This graphic from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources shows the positive environmental impact from keeping food waste out of the trash.

Want more information? Check out 802recycles.com & VTrecycles.com

Composting Tips from Cabot Creamery

Guest blogger Ali Drew

The Fosters of Middlebury, Vermont have built one of the Northeast’s larger manure-based compost companies. The Fosters are one of the many Cabot farm families that produce compost on their farms to sell to community members.

Bob Foster, a Board Member here at CAV, is very proud of his family’s sustainability efforts. Foster explains what compost means to him, “The whole concept is to close the loop. I enjoy the thought that we are converting solar energy into food, fiber and energy to nourish animals, plants, and people.”

Why compost?

40% of the food produced globally is wasted. This is a waste of food, money, natural and human resources as well as valuable landfill space. Composting is a way to do your part to reduce food waste.

Find the original blog entry by Cabot Creamery here

Cabot describes 4 different composting styles. Which category does your compost system fall into?

1. Minimalist Composter: Pile in the yard compost

2. DIY Composter Enclosed Bins: Homemade open compost bins

3. Hands-Off Composter: Enclosed compost bin

4. Action Composter: Tumbler or spinning compost bin

Remember:

Carbon is key! “Brown” materials keep your compost from just being a pile of rotten food. Adding carbon to your compost ensures that your compost doesn’t have too much moisture. If your compost has too much moisture, it can attract animals and is often smelly. 

Final takeaway: Browns + Greens + Stirring (Aeration) = Healthy Compost!

Get Persistent Herbicides Out of Our Compost!

Guest blogger Ali Drew

We all need to work together to get persistent herbicides (PH) out of our compost. Clopyralid Herbicide is a persistent herbicide that is entering our composting facilities from different sources beyond our control. This poses a significant risk to our composting industry.

The US Composting Council (USCC) put together this short video explaining the issue, and outlining steps we each can take.

How can you help?

Please educate yourself on this issue and act to inform the EPA to make changes in this product’s registration!

On July 6th the US EPA will close its comment period for Pesticide Registration Review.

This is our opportunity to flood the US EPA with comments in favor of the following action items:

1. Limit the use of these herbicides to non-harvested crops.

2. Change the registration process to include standards for use and restrictions before it can be re registered for use.

3. Develop affordable testing methods in compost

4. Assign liability to all members of the supply chain that distribute and apply these products

5. Prohibit all retail sales. 

This cannot come just from the USCC. We need the EPA to receive hundreds of comments to make sure the compost industry is heard. 

Click the link below to personalize your comments to the EPA, including the above proposed action items.

Pandemic sees growth in compost sales

Crews work at the compost site at Windham Solid Waste on Monday, May 4, 2020

Chris Mays of the Brattleboro Reformer reported on the increase in compost sales on May 4, 2020.

BRATTLEBORO — In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, compost sales are growing at Windham Solid Waste Management District.

"We are selling more compost than ever," said Bob Spencer, the district's executive director. "There's a really increased demand right now."

Brattlegrow Compost, the district's product made of local food scraps, is sold to retailers buying 10 cubic yards or more. Spencer said a typical load is 15 to 20 cubic yards.

Looking at the last four months of revenue versus the same period last year, the district is up by more than $10,000. Spencer attributes most of the increase to compost sales in the last two months.

A virtual celebration International Compost Awareness Week (May 3-9, 2020)

April 30, 2020, Hinesburg, VT… Environmental and recycling businesses, organizations, community groups and individuals around the U.S. are making plans to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) the week of May 3 - 9. The theme for this year is “Soil Loves Compost”.

This year, the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) is offering several online events via Zoom, including learning the basics of backyard composting, how to grow your own food at home—a primer from raised beds to lawn conversion, and a discussion about compost as a climate solution. See a full list and register for these free events at: CompostingVermont.org/ICAW-2020.

Traditionally, ICAW is promoted at in-person activities and events. While these types of activities will not be held due to Covid-19, the goal is still the same – to build awareness of the benefits of using compost and recycling organics and to promote safe composting and positive, outdoor community action that supports community resilience.  “Regardless of how ICAW is celebrated this year, the “Soil Loves Compost” message is strong and clear — there are undeniable benefits of compost and composting in completing the food cycle and building healthy soil.” said Teri Sorg McManamon, ICAW Committee Chair. “Compost is a quality product that enhances our soils. We appreciate whatever efforts communities, companies, and organizations make in celebrating this valuable resource.”

International Compost Awareness Week, a program run in the US by the Composting Council Research & Education Foundation, is celebrated nationwide and in other countries each year during the first full week of May. Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, ICAW was started in Canada in 1995. Since then, ICAW has continued to grow as more people, businesses, municipalities, schools, and organizations are recognizing the importance of composting and the long-term benefits of recycling organics. More information on ICAW can be found at www.compostfoundation.org

The Composting Association of Vermont is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances the vital soil health practices of producing and using compost in ways that contribute to water quality, plant vigor, and environmental resilience. CAV demonstrates the value of compost through education, policy, outreach, and partnerships to reduce waste, capture energy, and create jobs. We believe that increasing the use of compost in our communities will increase our resilience to climate change.

Contact: Natasha Duarte, Director, Composting Association of Vermont at Natasha@CompostingVermont.org or 802-373-6499

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Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil

Find more information and register at: vermonthealthysoilscoalition.org/climate-and-community-resilience

The webinar during International Compost Awareness Week is: Revolutionary Resilience: Creating a Different Future Monday, May 4, 5:30-8 PM

Resources for Organics Management during the COVID-19 pandemic

CAV has compiled guidance for Rural Community Composting sites and Home composting systems

Here are some additional links to organizations with COVID-19 guidance pages:

• US Composting Council Resources & recordings from the Composting in the Time of COVID-19 Webinar series

• Institute for Local Self-Reliance

• Vt ANR has issued guidance for for facility managers and for the public.

• VT Department of Health

• Vermont Community Gardens Network

Composting in the Time of COVID-19: Part 5

What's it about?

Record numbers of your customers are creating Victory Gardens.  This is a perfect time to engage, and the USCC is here to help you! Whether you are a marketer, or the thought of social media makes your head hurt, you will leave this webinar feeling like a champ, armed with the tools and steps you need to create engaging social media posts. Let’s work together, create a movement, and make this go viral! #VforVictory 

The webinar is open to non members, but the toolkit is only accessible to USCC members. If you want to JOIN US you can take advantage of our spring special by clicking here! We'd love to have you join the movement!

Panelists:

• Suzanne Longacre, Laurel Valley Soils

• Linda Norris-Waldt, US Composting Council

• Hilary Nichols, US Composting Council

Recordings and slides from Parts 1-4 are available here.

Resources for organics management in the time of COVID-19 are here.

Composting in the Time of COVID-19: Part 4

Gardening is an empowering act. While everyone is sheltering in place, how can we reach out to customers in new ways? How can we assure our customers that we're using safe practices to sell compost? Topics will include marketing the re-emergence of the Victory Garden, transportation issues, marketing how you are keeping your customers safe, and YOUR questions. A panel of compost manufacturers from around the country will discuss how they are managing during the emergency.

Panelists:

• Emma Yates, WeCare Denali

• Clinton Sander, A1 Organics

• Shota Austin, Tank’s Green Stuff

Recordings and slides from Parts 1-3 are available here.

Resources for organics management in the time of COVID-19 are here.

Composting In The Time of COVID-19: Part 3

Join this webinar to hear from a panel of for-profit, nonprofit, and government food scrap collectors.In this discussion moderated by Brenda Platt of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, they will share their experience in adapting drop-off and curbside collection programs in response to COVID-19. The discussion will cover new safety protocols, defending the right to collect food scraps for composting, services paused, and new services offered (such as home composting kits and food delivery for local businesses).  

Panelists:

• Daryl Braithwaite, Public Works Director for the City of Takoma Park, Maryland

• Dan Matsch, Eco-Cycle, Bouder, Colorado

• Eileen Banyra, founder, Community Compost Co., New Paltz, New York

• Ceci Pineda, Executive Director, BK ROT, Brooklyn, New York

• Jeremy Brosowsky, Founder/CEO, Compost Cab, Washington, DC

• Natasha Duarte, Director of the Composting Association of Vermont

Watch for the Series:

Part 4 April 21: "The Re-emergence of the “Victory Garden”: Selling Compost to Customers While They Shelter in Place". More details coming soon!

Composting In The Time of COVID-19: Part 2

What Will Be Covered in Part 2:

Compost manufacturers large and small are having to adapt to doing business during the pandemic. A panel of operators from across the country will answer questions about how they are managing during the emergency. Topics will include keeping employees safe, handling sales, contingency planning, and YOUR questions.

Panelists:

• Brian Fleury, WeCare Organics

• Pierce Louis, Dirthugger

• Patrick Geraty, St. Louis Composting

• Justen Garrity, Veteran Compost

Watch for the Series:

Part 3:  Week of April 13: Navigating Covid-19 for Small-Scale Food Scrap Collectors: Drop-off and Curbside

Part 4:  2nd Half of April: The re-emergence of the “Victory Garden”: Selling compost in the current economic environment; Home/Vermicomposting Considerations

More details coming soon!

Composting In The Time of COVID-19: Part 1

What Will Be Covered in Part 1:

What can science tell us about composting and the virus that causes COVID-19? What do we as composters need to know to control the disease and prevent it from spreading? In this webinar we will review safe handling procedures and meeting pathogen reduction standards (PFRP) at compost sites.

Speakers: Pat Millner, USDA Microbiologist and Jean Bonhotal, Cornell University Waste Management Institute.

Part 2:  April 7: Composting IS an essential service: Experiences and recommendations from around the country

• Panel: Brian Fleury, WeCare Organics; Pierce Louis, Dirthugger; Patrick Geraty, St. Louis Composting, Justen Garrity, Veteran Compost

Part 3:  Week of April 13: Navigating COVID-19 for Small-Scale Food Scrap Collectors: Drop-off and Curbside

Part 4:  2nd Half of April: The re-emergence of the “Victory Garden”: Selling compost in the current economic environment; Home/Vermicomposting Considerations

Save the Date! Tuesday, April 7, 2020*

14th Annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit

“2020 and Beyond”

At VTC in Randolph, VT

The Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) has helped advance organics and food scrap diversion in Vermont forward for over a decade. VORS provides a statewide forum to think boldly, learn, and network about transforming food waste and other organic materials into valuable products.

We have reached 2020, and the ban on landfilling organics that Vermonters have been gearing up for comes into effect this July! To help promote “2020 and Beyond”, this year’s Summit will include sessions on the use of compost products for storm water management, organics hauling, research, and outreach models to help communities and residents meet the State’s organics diversion, food rescue, and food scrap recycling goals.

The one-day Summit at Vermont Technical College in Randolph features a morning plenary with a State of the State by Josh Kelly, ANR/DEC’s Materials Management Section Chief, and a Keynote (to be announced shortly), followed by four concurrent morning and afternoon workshops.

Continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon ice cream social are included in the registration fee.

Registration Opens February 18th

Sponsor and Exhibitor information online or by contacting Natasha@CompsotingVermont.org

VORS is hosted by the Composting Association of Vermont and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation.

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The Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) is a nonprofit organization. It promotes organics recycling that protects and benefits the environment. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation (ANR/DEC) is dedicated to protecting and improving the health of Vermont’s people and ecosystems and promoting the sustainable use of Vermont’s natural resources.

*Please note the day has switched from the first Thursday in April, to the first Tuesday (April 7) for this year.

VORS 2020 Call for Presentations and Workshops

“2020 and Beyond”

14th Annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS)

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, Vermont

Submission Deadline Extended: Monday, December 2nd, 2019

The Vermont Organics Recycling Summit offers eight (8) workshop/presentation sessions on topics related to food rescue and the recycling of organic materials such as food scraps, manures, food processing residuals and yard debris. This invitation to submit presentation abstracts is for composting & organics recycling professionals; researchers and educators; government officials; planners; community & business leaders; consultants; contractors; and advocates.

Suggested topics include but are not limited to:

Do you have ideas for a special way to mark reaching the 2020 milestone?

• Compost production & management

• Food rescue: strategies & stories

• Erosion & nutrient management

• Policy related to organics recycling

• Waste reduction

• Source separation success stories

• Community composting

• Compost product end uses

• Outreach & education strategies

• Feedstocks: supply; quality control, …

• Compost technologies & systems

• Compost quality & market development

• Commercial & residential collection

• Research & case studies

• Implementing universal recycling/ Act 148

• Energy recovery, anaerobic digestion

Please submit a one-page abstract (MS Word format), containing the following information:

1) Proposed Title of Presentation

2) Speaker(s) Name, Affiliation, Address, Email, and Phone Number

3) 3-4 sentence biography of speaker(s)

4) 5 sentences describing the presentation content

5) Prior speaking experience; has presentation been done at other conferences?

6) If available, sample PowerPoint of presentation

7) Presentation length options: □ 10-20 min (panelist), □ 90 min (workshop), □ other

8) Preference, if any, for morning or afternoon time slot

9) Are you willing to to have a pdf of your presentation posted after the Summit?

10) Additional presentation information

Thank you for your interest in the 2020 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit.

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Note: Presenters receive free admission to the Summit.

*Presentations that primarily promote for-profit technologies or services are discouraged.

Submission deadline: Monday, November 25th, 2019

Submit proposals to: Natasha@CompostingVermont.org

For more information, contact Natasha Duarte at 802-373-6499 or by email.

Vermont Compost Operator Certification Training

Hosted by Compost Technical Services

• November 1, 2019

• Registration 7:30-8:00

• Workshop 8:00-4:30

• Cost $30

Through this workshop, participants will receive a Compost Operator Certificate, which meets the requirements of ANR for small, medium and large compost facility site operators. Current or future compost site operators will be certified to manage composting facilities handling food scraps or animal mortalities in Vermont.

This webinar, followed by a daylong workshop is focused on operator competency in compost management and regulatory compliance, and includes a dynamic combination of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises.

Vermont residents and site operators working in the state have priority registration. Out of state attendees may register for any open spots on October 25th.

Topics Covered Include:

• Principles of Composting

• Compost Recipe Development

• Materials & Blending

• Windrow Construction

• Pile Monitoring & Management

• Windrow Aeration

• Aerated Static Pile Composting

• Storm Water & Leachate Management

• Neighbor Relations

• Site & Operating Permit Requirements

Presenters:

James McSweeney – Compost Technical Services

Chris Duff – Compost Facility Operator

Dan Goossen – Green Mountain Compost

Ben Gauthier – Vermont Agency Of Natural Resources

Community Meeting: Planning Pollinator Corridors in VT

Description

The Vermont Ecosystems Working Group Invites you to a community meeting to explore the possibilities for creating Pollinators Corridors in Vermont

• When: Thursday June 27th, 10:30am -1:00 pm

• Where: Temple Sinai, 500 Swift Street, South Burlington, VT 05403 (802-862-5125)

• For more information: Natasha Duarte at 802-373-6499 / Natasha@CompostingVermont

Agenda:

10:30-10:45 Meet and Greet

10:45-10:50 Call to Order (Natasha Duarte)

10:50-10:55 Welcome (Rabbi David Edleson)

10:55-11:00 Welcome (Joan Lenes, former VT Representative from Shelburne)

11:00-11:15 Invited Speaker: Vt. Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman

11:15-11:30 Q&A (moderated by Joan Lenes)

11:30-11:45 Introduction to the Gund Institute’s Apis Fund (Charles Nicholson)

11:45-12:00 Introduction to the Ecosystems Working Group (Natasha Duarte)

12:00-12:45 Round Table discussion & Brown Bag Lunch (Frank Guyer)

12:45-1:00 Concluding Remarks (Natasha Duarte)

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Ecosystems Working Group Steering Committee members:

Dr. Anju Krivov (UVM, Community Development and Applied Economics): 978-870-5729

Beret Halverson (UVM, Extension Master Gardener/Master Composter Program): 802-656-1777

Natasha Duarte (Composting Association of Vermont): 802-373-6499

Frank J. Guyer/Geier (3Bs and C non-profit): 802-355-1976

*The Ecosystems Working Group meets 3 times / year: January, June, October

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OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:

This event is free but pre-registration is required so we know how many people to expect.

Sponsors and volunteers are needed; Donations welcome! Please contact Natasha if you are interested.

Free Community Food Scrap Composting Training in Charlotte

The training is free and open to the public. Please register at https://forms.gle/XUm8grD7pwnsxFWPA

When: Saturday, May 11 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, followed by an optional tour of the CCS Community Compost shed

Where: Charlotte Library, 115 Ferry Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445

Community composting offers a local option for recycling food scraps and garden/yard materials, putting these valuable resources to good use, and keeping them out of landfills. You can help build healthy soils, right where you live!  Small compost systems can be established at homes, in neighborhoods, at community gardens, CSA’s, farms, or schools, or at other locations, such as churches, senior centers, Town Halls or libraries.  Residents will learn about collaborative composting (it can be easier than solo home composting!), and how using compost products can benefit their community.

This training is designed to help people and communities determine the composting system that will best meet their goals for collecting and composting food scraps. Participants will gain the knowledge to: choose the best system for their site; manage composting basics; safely collect food scraps; accumulate and store carbon sources; communicate “work flow” with family or fellow composters; and more.

Training Overview:

• The “what” and “why” of community composting

• Community-driven goals

• Compost system options, siting, set up, winter preparation

• Composting basics: inputs & outputs, system management

• Gathering needed materials: sourcing, quality, community engagement & training

• Discussion and Q&A

• Hands-on exercises

For more information, contact: Natasha Duarte, natasha@compostingvermont.org or 802-373-6499

Refreshments will be provided; please bring a brown bag lunch, water bottle, and drink mug.

Sponsored by Northeast Recycling Council, Composting Association of Vermont, Town of Charlotte, Charlotte Library,Champlain Valley Cohousing; with funding from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.

Webinars: Phosphorus Movement and Compost Use in Stormwater Management

In February2019, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Composting Association of Vermont, and the Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute, hosted 2 webinars discussing phosphorus movement in soil and water, and uses for compost as a soil amendment and in erosion control and stormwater management.

The recordings of the two webinars are below. For more information, please contact Natasha.

Phosphorus in Soil and Water: Important Concepts and Emerging Questions

Presenter: Dr. Eric Roy, University of Vermont (2/12/2019)

Update your understanding of how phosphorus interacts with soil, water, and the various best management practices being employed today. We begin with a look at the chemistry of phosphorus and how it changes based on surrounding physical and biological conditions. For example, what’s the difference between total, dissolved and particulate phosphorus, and why does this matter? How do soil characteristics affect the storage, leaching and movement of this nutrient in the watershed? What about compost and the role of healthy soil?

We then explore broader topics like a region’s phosphorus budget over the long term. How can we better store imported phosphorus, and what questions do we have about the long-term effectiveness of various strategies we rely upon? What are the prospects for exporting phosphorus?

The Science of Compost and Innovative Uses for Soil Amendment, Erosion Control and Stormwater Management

Presenters: Geoff Kuter, Agresource, Inc. and Britt Faucette, Filtrexx, Inc. (2/26/2019)

Broaden your understanding about compost and better ways it can be used to improve water quality and soil health.  We review the science of compost and the soil it amends, including how it impacts nutrients like phosphorus.  We then explore effective strategies and techniques for using compost in a variety of applications, such as to prevent erosion, contribute to site stabilization, remediate compacted soils, establish vegetation, and manage stormwater within various GSI installations. Particular attention is paid to minimizing the risk of leaching phosphorus back into the water.

This webinar also discuss larger concepts as related to compost, such as the pros and cons of meeting Vermont’s goals for diverting organics from landfills and how this relates to limiting phosphorus loads within a watershed.

Due to some technical difficulties during the second webinar, we ran out of time during Britt’s presentation. For those interested, here is a pdf of his full slide deck.

The Soil Series: Grassroots for the Climate Emergency

Where: Bethany Church, Randolph
When: Wednesdays 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

A collaboration between Building A Local Economy (BALE) and Vermont Healthy Soils Coalition (VHSC)

Calling all land managers, farmers, gardeners, seed savers, citizen scientists, conservationists, town planners,  educators, healers, and advocates! Join us for a series of critical conversations about soil health and how we can become response-able to meet the climate emergency we face with confidence.

There will be great food provided before and, following powerful panel dialogues guided by VHSC members, audience discussion on topics of food, soil, water, health, climate and hope. Together, we can explore what is possible in rehabilitating Vermont’s soil health to hold our landscapes and communities together.

Suggested donation $5 (donations not necessary).

Each program features a social half-hour with great food provided by Black Krim Tavern, Randolph

Schedule of events:

• February 27: Ground to Body: Soil Health & Human Health
  Speakers: Didi Pershouse, Grace Gershuny, Michael Denmeade

• March 13 Shielding Soil with Plants and Animals
  Speakers: Tatiana Schreiber, Graham Unangst-Rufenacht

• March 20 Storytelling Panel
  Speakers: Katherine Oaks, Maddie Kempner, Sha’an Mouliert, Cheryl Herrick

• March 27 Building the Soil From the Ground Up
  Speakers: Juan Alvez, Jessica Ruben, Cat Buxton

• April 10 Social Mycelium: the Fiber of Community Resilience
  Speakers: Mindy Blank, Simon Dennis, Chris Wood, Henry Harris

• April 24 A Soil Sponge to Cool the Planet
  Speakers: Judith Schwartz, Jan Lambert, Henry Swayze

For details on individual events, visit www.vermonthealthysoilscoalition.org