Composting Resources – Search Results
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Supportive Rules For Small-Scale Composting
Composting is inherently local; it supports local green jobs, farmers and other businesses. Indeed, farmers have a vital role to play in producing and utilizing compost to restore depleted soils. They also have land, a necessary factor for developing the capacity to compost. State permitting rules can facilitate on-farm and other small-scale operators, thus helping to … Read More
Compostable Plastic Bags: A Glance of What’s Packed in the Bag
Compostable plastic bags are increasingly used to collect food scraps for composting. Their main benefit? Removing the “ick factor” associated with collecting food residuals by keeping collection containers clean and odors at bay, while also breaking down at the composting site. Unfortunately, many plastic bag makers claim that their products are “biodegradable” or environmentally preferable in … Read More
Recycling and Deconstruction Resource Links
These links are useful to anyone interested in advancing composting, recycling or deconstruction.… Read More
BioSpecs for Food Service Ware
The Bio Specs for Food Service Ware outline sustainability criteria and recognition levels for food service ware made from compostable biobased materials. They provide a framework that enables buyers to assess the sustainability of these products during three stages of their life cycle: (1) biomass production, (2) manufacturing, and (3) end of product life. “Sustainability” encompasses … Read More
Update on Anaerobic Digester Projects Using Food Wastes in North America
Prepared for the City of Atlanta, this report on anaerobic digesters (AD) around North examines several existing AD projects that have a history of operational success and profiles some of the projects that are close to coming online.… Read More
Report on Model State Composting Policies
Composting is an important strategy for recycling organic materials that might otherwise be disposed in landfills or incinerators. This April 2010 report, Summary of Select State Composting Regulations, identifies 11 states with notable regulations governing compost facilities. … Read More
BioSpecs Purchasing Specifications for Compostable Biobased Food Service Ware
The Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative (SBC) provides purchasing specifications for buyers of compostable food service ware. These specifications were designed to find products that are sustainable from cradle-to-cradle, including biomass production, manufacturing, and recovery. The specifications require that products meet certain standards and hold certain certifications of products to prevent purchasers from buying “greenwashed” items, which fail … Read More
Guidelines for Sustainable Bioplastics
The SBC’s Guidelines for Sustainable Bioplastics proposes goals and a roadmap for improving the sustainability of bioplastics – defined for this document as plastics in which 100% of the carbon is derived from renewable agricultural and forestry resources. While these Guidelines focus on biobased plastic replacements for fossil-fuel-based plastics, many of the principles apply to other … Read More
Stop Trashing the Climate
Released to coincide with the UN’s World Environment Day on June 5th, 2008, this report documents the link between climate change and unsustainable patterns of consumption and wasting. The study dispels myths about the climate benefits of landfill gas recovery and waste incineration, outlines policies needed to effect change, and offers a roadmap to significantly reduce … Read More
Recycling and Composting Policy Agenda Drafted; Comments Sought
Twenty-three veteran recycling and composting activists met in a two-day retreat in June 2007 to prepare policy guidelines to accelerate diversion of discarded materials from landfills and incinerators. The document, upon refinement and approval by a broader number of activists, will be circulated among state, local and federal decision-makers for consideration. View the background statement, draft … Read More
Resource Management in the State of Delaware
ILSR’s 2007 Report to the Delaware State Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) presents an approach for changing solid waste management to resource management in this small Mid-Atlantic state. ILSR recommends a surcharge to finance infrastructure development for the public and private sectors. The $6 per ton surcharge would raise $20 million in 6 … Read More
Waste to Wealth – 2007 Annual Report
For 33 years ILSR’s “Waste to Wealth” program has helped to convert wastes from environmental and economic liabilities into valuable resources that contribute to community development. In 2007, our work has focused on the following: encouraging sustainable biomaterials to replace fossil-fuel-based plastics developing green industrial parks salvaging building materials through deconstruction deterring waste incineration projects and … Read More
Resource Management in the State of Delaware
ILSR’s 2007 Report to the Delaware State Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) presents an approach for changing solid waste management to resource management in this small Mid-Atlantic state. ILSR recommends a surcharge to finance infrastructure development for the public and private sectors. The $6 per ton surcharge would raise $20 million in 6 … Read More
Community Record Setters
ILSR has been tracking and documenting community-wide recycling/composting programs for many years. Some of our reports on this subject are available online as PDF files. Others are available in hard copy format only.… Read More
Record Setting Recycling and Composting Programs
Twenty years ago, many solid waste planners thought no more than 15% to 20% of the municipal waste stream could be recycled. ILSR’s 1988 publication, Beyond 25%: Materials Recovery Age Comes of Age, shattered this myth. It featured 15 communities recycling 25% or more of their residential and commercial/institutional discards. Our 1991 report Beyond 40%: Record-Setting … Read More