Organic Materials Management > Compost & Healthy Soil

Compost & Healthy Soil

Composting is an important component of "closed loop" recycling. By composting organic residuals, we can transform "wastes" such as yard debris, food scraps, manure, and crop residues into valuable products. According to a 2009 statewide waste audit, over 35% of our state's garbage was compostable material. For more data, visit Ecology's Solid Waste and Recycling Data site.

There are many benefits to making and using compost. It reduces waste, saving landfill space. It reduces production of greenhouse gases by diverting food scraps from landfills. Compost can help build healthy soil and plants by:

• Increasing soil organic matter
• Improving soil structure and fertility
• Increasing soil drainage and resistance to erosion by wind and water
• Increasing soil water and nutrient holding capacity
• Moderating soil pH, which improves nutrient availability for plants
• Supporting beneficial soil microbes that recycle nutrients and protect plants from disease
• Saves time and money by reducing the need for water, fertilizer and pesticides

According to the U.S. EPA, compost also helps clean up contaminated soil and helps prevent (water) pollution by preventing stormwater pollutants, soil erosion and silting from entering waterways.

Composting at Home
Non-Residential Composting and Data
Tools & Other Resources

COMPOSTING AT HOME

According to a 2009 statewide waste audit, 33% of residential garbage was compostable material. Most of the backyard compostable material consisted of vegetative food (17%) and leaves/grass (9%). Turn this "waste" into a beneficial resource by composting at home in a bin or a pile. Keep vegetable scraps separate to feed red wiggler worms. They'll make good use of those scraps and give you rich vermicompost (worm compost) to use in your garden. When materials are composted correctly, they will smell earthy and will not attract unwanted critters to your bins. See the Tools & Other Resources section to learn how to compost in your backyard and what to look for when buying compost.

Buying Compost and Other Soil Products

Before buying compost, read Ecology's "Buying and Using Compost" focus sheet. The following compost facilities list and map include some of the compost facilities in our state.

• 2010 WA State Compost Facilities
  This list contains contact and feedstock information for permitted and some exempt compost facilities within our state. There are other exempt operations in the state including vermicomposting (worm castings) and on-farm operations that are not listed.
• The U.S. Composting Council's "Buying Compost" site provides a map with some of our compost facilities and a compost calculator you can use to determine how much compost to buy to meet your needs.

NON-RESIDENTIAL COMPOSTING AND DATA

Non-residential is large scale composting, including the processing of feedstocks that are picked up curbside or community collection. Commercial production is for institutions, agencies, compost facilities, agricultural businesses.

Organic material recovery data can be found at Solid Waste and Recycling Data. View the Compost Facility section below for compost facility data.

Compost End-Use

Compost facilities around the state are busy turning what was once considered waste into compost. To complete the cycle, finished compost needs to be purchased and used. There are a variety of situations in which compost can be used, including new construction, landscaping and roadside applications.

For more about how compost is used:
Soils for Salmon - In Washington State, there are soil "Best Management Practices" (BMPs) for using compost when soil is disturbed on developed land. Washington Organic Recycling Council (WORC) developed this Soils for Salmon website for builders, developers and landscapers to learn about:

• Preserving site topsoil and vegetation where possible.
• Reducing compaction.
• Amending disturbed soils with compost to restore healthy soil functions.

Best Management Practices (BMP) for soils - Soil BMP Guide. This publication provides guidance for landscape designers, builders, planners, and inspectors to implement soil quality BMPs, in order to protect and restore soil functions. The guide describes techniques for construction site soil handling, reducing soil compaction, and amending site soils with compost to meet BMP T5.13 "Post Construction Soil Quality and Depth" in Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington. This guide includes field inspection techniques, WA suppliers of compost and soil testing laboratories, and specification language in APWA and CSI formats.

U.S. EPA's Greenscapes - Review this site to learn how to use compost in a variety of applications, including erosion control.

Compost Facility

Washington State compost facilities are regulated under the Composting Facility Standards (WAC 173-350-220).

• Accredited Labs: Looking for a laboratory to test your compost? Ecology's Laboratory Accreditation site gives you the option to search for a lab based on their name, location or testing parameter.
• Annual Report and other requirements: All permitted composting facilities and some exempt are required to submit an annual report to both their local Jurisdictional Health Department (JHD) and to Ecology. Some facilities must submit an annual summary of their composted materials. This summary can be provided using Ecology's Compost Facility Annual Summary of Lab Analysis Form. See the Law and Rule page for an overview of the regulations that apply to our state's composting facilities.
• Facility Data: Ecology maintains a list of the compost facilities and their composted material data in Washington that were required to submit an annual report and/or lab results.
• Good Management Practices: View this Ecology publication for common sense actions that a facility can adopt to help them run a successful program. Siting and Operating Composting Facilities in Washington State Good Management Practices

See the Tools & Other Resources section for more information.

Farm/Agriculture

Composting on a farm and at other agricultural locations make it possible to manage certain resources on-site. For agricultural composting operations, our state has several exemptions from solid waste handling permitting. See the Law and Rule page to learn about these exemptions.

View these agricultural composting publications and websites to learn more:

• Manure Composting Marketing Guide. (WSU Whatcom County Cooperative Extension and Whatcom County Conservation District)
• National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. (Site is maintained by National Center for Appropriate Technology.) This site includes soil and compost publications.
• "On-Farm Composting Handbook" (NRAES-54 June 1992). This is a well known resource in the compost industry. Request a copy by contacting the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES), Cooperative Extension, PO Box 4557, Ithaca NY 14852-4557. Phone (607)255-7654. Email: nraes@cornell.edu
• On-Farm Composting of Livestock Mortalities. These Ecology guidelines cover the methods of composting large livestock. RCW 70.95.306 requires that these guidelines be followed in order for certain agricultural livestock composting activities to remain exempt from solid waste permitting.
• Washington State Conservation Commission. This site provides information on composting horse and livestock manure. From their website, search on "manure" and/or "compost".
• WSU Small Farms Team Compost
• WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources Composting

See the Tools & Other Resources section for more information.

Institution & Agency

Local solid waste agencies have Solid Waste Plans, which may include how they manage their organic materials. These are often written based on environmental needs and available funds, including Ecology grants. View these Solid Waste Plan examples for ideas when writing or reviewing a solid waste plan:

• Clark County Solid Waste
• Grant County Public Works
• King County Solid Waste
• Kitsap County Public Works
• Seattle Public Works

Managing Food Scraps at Institutions and Agencies (Ecology) - Use this guide to help develop food scrap management programs.

See the Tools & Other Resources section for more information.

TOOLS AND OTHER RESOURCES

Review the following resources to learn how to make compost, how to use it, and more. For home composting workshops and bin sales, check with your local solid waste or public works department. Obtain additional resources by visiting Ecology's Information Clearinghouse.

Open these brochures/guides to learn the basics:

• A User's Guide to Compost
• Backyard Composting, It's Only Natural
• Building Healthy Soil
• Buying Topsoil/Soil Blend Products
• Buying and Using Compost
• Buying and Using Organic Mulch
• Natural Yard Care
• Why Compost? Also available in Spanish.

Educate others with these compost resources:

• Compost and Organics Recycling (Connecticut state)
• Compost Educator's Guide (WSU/Dept. of Ecology.) Request a PDF copy through WSU's Compost website (see "Publications" section)
• Composting in Schools (Cornell University)
• Home Composting Survey Report (Dept. of Ecology)
• Master Composter
• Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Recycling and Composting (U.S. EPA)
• Sierra Heights Vermicomposter Project (Dept. of Ecology)
• The Worm Guide (California state)
• Vermicompost: A Living Soil Amendment (Cornell University)
• Worm Site (Discovery Kids)

Large- scale composting resources:

• Adding Food Residuals to Yard Trimmings Compost Sites (USCC website)
• Composting in Restaurants and Schools: A Municipal Tool Kit. (Center for Ecological Technology)
• Cornell Waste Management Institute (CWMI) Contains a variety of composting educational materials and programs. Their Natural Resources Agricultural Engineering Service (NRAES) publications include "On-Farm Composting Handbook", "Field Guide to On-Farm Composting", and "Composting for Municipalities, Planning and Design Considerations". Video links: "Vermicompost: A Living Soil Amendment" and American Phytopathological Society's " It's a Microbial World - Pythium Suppression and Vermicomposting".
• CWMI Composting page contains many links that address compost issues.
• Food Waste Collection and Composting Feasibility Study for Allegheny County (Pennsylvania)
• Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) Emissions through Recycling and Composting. A new report prepared by the West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum, an EPA-led partnership of western city, county, state, and tribal governments identifies the top ten materials in California, Oregon, and Washington with the greatest potential for reducing GHG emissions if diverted from landfill disposal through recycling and composting.
• Siting and Operating Composting Facilities in Washington State Good Management Practices Provides common sense actions that a facility can adopt to help them run a successful operation.

Learn more about composting through these organizations:

• CalRecycle (CA Dept. of Resources Recycling and Recovery)
• King County
• New Brunswick , Canada
• Seattle Tilth
• Seattle Public Utilities
• U.S. Composting Council
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Washington Organic Recycling Council (WORC)
• WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources
• WSU Composts and Nutrient Management
• WSU Cooperative Extension Stewardship Gardening
• WSU Master Gardener (and Compost) Programs

Use these calculators when making and using compost. Also includes Greenhouse Gas calculators.

• Calculating a Compost Application Rate based on Fertilizer Needs (Colorado State University)
• Using Compost as a Soil Amendment (WSU Extension)
• Cornell University's Compost Calculator
• EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator
• EPA WARM Model
• Klickitat County's Compost Calculator
• Soils for Salmon Compost Calculator
• WSU Compost Mix Calculator

Use these graphics and brochure for food waste collection programs. They were developed for Ecology's food waste program (see Garbage to Garden brochure). Permission is not required to use these.

4x6 Food, Trash, Bottles and Cans sign
7x4 Food and paper towels sign
8.5x11 Desktop YES and NO
Compost Logo 1
Compost Logo 2
No
Yes
Food Prep
Salad
Paper Towels