Government agencies, business, and institutions are developing environmental procurement guidelines and policies that require the purchase of compost to enhance their construction and/or landscaping operations. In addition, more and more of these entities are specifying that the compost be purchased locally, which minimizes transportation impacts, creates demand in the local market for a sustainable compost product, … Read More
Incorporating compost into soils that are disturbed or damaged by human development (such as typical construction practices) has many benefits for the overall health of the soil ecosystem including: improved water retention, increased infiltration rates, greater binding ability, pH stabilization, and micronutrient enrichment. These micro-level soil benefits in turn, lead to significant community benefits on a … Read More
Performance-based compost regulations describe standards to be met without imposing restrictions on the exact way to meet those standards. Several states in the Pacific Northwest (such as Washington and Oregon), as well as Ohio in the Midwest have implemented performance-based standards, thereby acknowledging that no one regulatory model is best for every facility. These rules foster … Read More
Farmers have a vital role to play in producing and utilizing compost to restore depleted soils. Permit exemptions authorize compost operations on farms and smaller-scale facilities, such as community gardens, thus avoiding superfluous permitting requirements intended for larger, full-scale compost facilities. Because there are often significantly less risks or hazards associated with on-farm and small-scale composters, … Read More
New York City generates 1.8 million tons of commercial and residential organic waste, 95% of which ends up in landfills or incinerators both in and outside of New York state lines. In December 2013, NYC passed its Commercial Organic Waste law (Local Law 146), which took effect July 1, 2015. This law mandates specific large-scale generators to arrange for the recycling of their organic materials or employ department-approved methods to process the material themselves. The City has recently recommitted to organics recycling and is making efforts to expand curbside composting as part of its zero waste plans.… Read More
In Dec. 2015, New York City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a major mixed-use development in the East Harlem neighborhood. The RFP included the specification that, of up to 700,000-square-feet of commercial space, a modest portion—50,000-square-feet—would be reserved for local retailers.… Read More
The cost of leasing commercial space is soaring in many U.S. cities, threatening the future of independent businesses. Cities have a range of options available to them to keep space appropriate, accessible, and affordable to locally owned businesses. We’ve identified six broad policy strategies.… Read More
New York requires agricultural composters who accept any amount of food scraps from off-site to apply for a permit. In addition to the permit requirement, composters must adhere to specific performance standards including methods of vector and pathogen reduction. Some non-food materials, including animal manure and no more than 3,000 cubic yards of yard trimmings per year, may be conditionally exempt from the permit requirement.… Read More
In 2011, the City of Austin set a goal of a 75% diversion rate for solid waste by 2020 as part of its larger zero waste ambitions. In 2014, the city expanded its Universal Recycling Ordinance to include organics. Austin’s goals are based on a desire to mitigate methane emissions from landfills and promote economic development. In its Resource Recovery Master Plan, the city envisions providing incentives to encourage an economy in which the discards of one business can be the feedstocks of another business. A study prepared in 2008 for the city government by consultants estimated that a diversion economy could generate 1,800 jobs for Austin.… Read More