Small towns in this area encourage composting and sell people bins at
about 1/4 the retail price.

By law in Michigan yaed waste cannot go into a "sanitary" landfill, it must be disposed of seperately. This is because yard waste comprises 30 to 40 percent of the volume of trash going in to landfills. Many of the waste haulers now have composting stations where this yard waste is taken, piled up, and after a time is sold to landscape companies. Large dollar fines and loss of license are the incentives to the waste haulers to be sure this gets done, but convincing Joe Citizen to keep his yard waste seperate is still difficult, and recycling on the whole is down to day to around 10 percent from 30 percent 20 years ago in spite of classes on schools on recycling. People in my childrens generation who were taught extensively about recycling do that at a lower rate than their parents.
No organic waste should leave your property would be a better way of stating that.

At least two of the suburban municipalaties around the DFW Metroplex makes good compost out of yard waste and encourages landscapers to bring their leaves, grass clippings etc. in and will give them compost and mulch free in exchange. Local residents can get the compost and mulch free non residents can get a two cubic yard scoop full for 8 bucks.

I can see where that would be strong competition to a private enterpise and probably have an unfair advantage due to size, manpower, equipment and the already established concept in peoples minds of taking unwanted materials to the dump.

As with everything there is a good amount of variation from one area to another, and often politics can turn something beautiful in to something horribly ugly. Small town politics are often some of the worst. Perhaps you were an unfortunate casualty of that, but that is just speculation.
Bill P.

"No organic waste should leave your property"

Beat this:
Our sparsely-populated county is divided in two by a rather large mountain. Our half of the county is mostly rocky terrain, the other half more amenable to farming. The county has started a new composting system for citizens: we are asked to put all our compostables into (non-biodegradable) green bags and put them out with the garbage. These green bags are then trucked two hours away, over the mountain, to the other half of the county, where they are composted, the resulting compost used for landscaping projects in that half of the county.

I've written an article about this in the county newspaper, discussed the issue with counsellors for years, keep encouraging local people to compost and to come visit our composting set-up (some do).

It really is the most ridiculous situation, especially considering that 99% of the produce in the stores comes from Florida, California, or at best the other Maritime provinces.

A lot of people I've talked to tell me they don't compost because they're afraid bears. There have been instances where bears got into bins but they're rare...

I welcome any advice.

I'd have to disagree with the second version: "No organic waste should leave your property"

I live in a very urban setting and it is simply not feasible nor practical for everyone to recycle all of their organic waste at home. Many of these folks are apartment dwellers and there is no place for them to dispose of organic waste other than through municipal recycling programs or their regular garbage. And this statement is also so limiting that it would also include all human waste and excrement as well - it's organic, no?

I do support recycling whenever possible and my community is very heavily involved in yard waste recycling and has been for decades. They operate several huge commercial composting operations and the product is widely distributed. They also support and subsidize home composting operations (classes, demonstration facilities, home composters, books and tools) for whomever is interested in following this path.

While I agree that as much organic waste as possible should be recycled into a usable product rather than occupying space in landfills, to make blanket statements such as these are idealistic in the extreme and do not take into consideration all the variables and logisitics involved in having such statements come to fruition. It's a noble goal, but like all goals must be tempered with reality.

In our area the landfill and the government make good words about the composting arrangements but in fact it is nothing like it should be.

The point is asking hard questions and if you have a chance go see what really happens. It may not be as advertised, and I hope it is.

The point about unfair competition is a good one but this is a point where the common good out ways private enterprise. There is a place for government, roads, water, electricity, composting, medicine, police, military and many others.

Shine some light on what is going on in your area and it WILL get better regardless of how good it is now.

If you have local classes on composting then take the class to whatever local yardwaste facility and walk around and ask questions, get the press if possible. I hope you find a wonderful situation, if not ask for it in front of the press and things WILL get better.

Garengal, lets talk about human waste.

Human waste can be composted like all other organic matter it only requires more care.

The following are just a couple of links to two of the primary organic waste recycling operations present in my area. One is extremely large scale, the other designed for the individual.

Clik on the imbedded link in this one for a more detailed overview of the largest commercial composting operation in the country.
http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/ecodeals/partner-detail.asp?PartID=9

http://www.seattletilth.org/resources/articles/mcsb

thats nasty

At King County web site you gave is a number 206-296-4466, the lady there tells me that once waste is received it goes to land fill and is buried.

maggie, let's talk reason and practicality. Are you advocating that apartment dwellers and all those without a garden and composting facilities recycle their own waste?

See what I mean about the problems when speaking in absolutes. Composting - human waste or otherwise - is simply not an option for a large percentage of our population.

If we differentiate between lawn waste, organic waste, and the type of landfill, then I might agree that no lawn waste should be disposed in a municipal solid waste landfill.

There are different types of landfills and there are different types of organic wastes....

Many states have laws that forbid landscape waste from being disposed into landfills.

Many municipalities are offering landscape waste disposal sites, that composts the waste and then offers the compost back to the community for relatively low cost, if not free. Kudos to the citizens who take advantage of this type of program.

Gardengal I quote you

"maggie, let's talk reason and practicality. Are you advocating that apartment dwellers and all those without a garden and composting facilities recycle their own waste?"

I said nothing like that? Please quote my words that led to you to this conclusion?

In this case I think you take exception to my tone rather than my words.

I apologize in advance if anyone is offended by my tone.

Maggie...at the risk of being told to mind my own business...GG48 simply asked you a question...Are you advocating....? a simple yes or no would suffice instead of the diatribe you gave. I too took your words...

Quote
* Posted by maggiemae_2006 (My Page) on
Thu, Nov 30, 06 at 12:23

Garengal, lets talk about human waste.

Human waste can be composted like all other organic matter it only requires more care.

unquote

...to mean that you do in fact, advocate this. Perhaps without voice inflection and mannerisms I can't tell what you are asking or telling. Just as a correct response to the telephone number fiasco could be...

GG48...Sorry, I guess I should have looked further and called the correct number before I went off on a tangent.

MM

I am not offended by your tone, I just don't know what the heck you are trying to tell/show us half the time. And to save you the trouble...

Lloyd mind your own GD business.

Hakuna Matata
Lloyd

I quote me "Garengal, lets talk about human waste.

Human waste can be composted like all other organic matter it only requires more care."

I think I meant to talk about human waste. I did say lets because I assumed others would join in.

So, I'll start without anyone. Human waste is now being composted from sewage treatment plants. It is done in 2 main ways:
1 as a sediment which is dried and applied.
2 what is called waste cake is composted and used in many ways. This "waste cake" is mainly the dead organisms that ate the sewage. Very rich as organic fertilizer. The city of Milwaukee does this and sells the product as Milorganite.

Lloyd, if you ask I'll give more information. I try to keep it short since I become weary of long post, but I'll explain in any detail if you are interested.

I apologize in advance if anyone is offended by my tone.

MM, thanks, but no thanks...I have read the Humanure book but sewage is not really my field of interest.

Lloyd

"The city of Milwaukee does this and sells the product as Milorganite."

Now that's nasty!

What Joe Jenkins recommends in the Humanure Handbook is eminently civilized.

Oh Poop!

I'm not sure I'd hold up Milorganite as any kind of sterling example. Check out their levels of heavy metals as compared with something like your basic Miracle Gro or Espoma Basic Plant fertilizer, a very popular organic-based product.

http://agr.wa.gov/PestFert/Fertilizers/Metals.htm

Unfortunately, composts, even commercially prepared ones, are not considered "fertilizers" and are not included in this evaluation.

Gardengal,
"I'm not sure I'd hold up Milorganite as any kind of sterling example."

I quote me from the post; "The city of Milwaukee does this and sells the product as Milorganite."

Again you take something I say as more than I said, how did I hold up Milorganite as a sterling example. A simple fact.

I apologize in advance if anyone is offended by my tone.

When a person states "Very rich as organic fertilizer. The city of Milwaukee does this and sells the product as Milorganite." doesn't that mean that they think it would be a good organic fertilizer?

MM, you're scaring me. I have no clue as to how to read your posts.

Sorry
Lloyd

LOL, this thread is hilarious.

I have no idea what the heck happened to this forum, when did it become "militant composting"?

I agree we should try to limit our organics going into the waste stream. Right now my wife and I compost maybe 80% of our paper and food waste. Its not practical for us to compost humanure yet. I have put some urine in the compost but its a bit of a pain as our pile isn't sheltered enough that I can directly apply without giving the neighbors a show. ;) We do compost humanure at camp though the conventional outhouse is open for guests who might be grossed out. In 20 years I'll dig the pit (again) and compost that...

So what don't I compost that I could? Theres too dang much paper, I've already got a way overbrowned pile and it'd be easy for it to be even worse. Since my pile is overbrown its not real hot so I don't compost a whole lot of meat, some of that (chicken carcasses especially) I toss out behind the brush pile(pre-compost) thats behind the compost pile for the critters so it still doesn't hit the waste stream. Theres probably some organic component of stuff like styrofoam meat trays I don't take any time to reclaim either...

Whatever works for you, we also are pretty good about recycling, our town has a pay as you throw policy and the bags are expensive ($1 for a 15gal bag, $2 for a 30) so recycling makes good economic sense. I notice the neighbors have curbside pickup (I go to the transfer station once a month) and don't seem to recycle at all that I can tell. Threres 8 of them though (3 generations in once house) and only 2 of us and we've got more land...

Curtludwig, "I notice the neighbors have curbside pickup (I go to the transfer station once a month) and don't seem to recycle at all that I can tell."

I'm not sure but I think you mean that there is little recycled at the transfer station. This goes to what I was trying to get at in the beginning that is many communities have or give lip service to organic recycling but do not do as much as one might assume. If you look into what is really going on in your area and shine light on the real situation it will get better.

At the same time I know from being in the business that it is not as easy as you might expect.

I'll tell you what I do with paper, not really a good solution but; I drill holes in a 5 gal bucket about 5 inches from the bottom so there is a water reservoir in the bottom. I layer paper, kitchen scraps, etc, when the bucket is full I sit it aside and start another one. At an undefined time I put this old bucket on one my berms or in my bog, a little mulch on top and forget it.

I apologize in advance if anyone is offended by my tone.

As I read this, one phrase continuously rings through my mind:

Fundamental. Definition. of Terms.

Wood is organic. Should I compost construction and demolition debris?

As far as what goes on in a landfill, I have a proposal: If you believe the world is operated by vast conspiracies, we'll provide a cute little whistle and a cute little whistle and you can stand in the dump all you want, monitoring each bag, each truck to assure that only items you feel proper are placed in the landfill.

What I want to know is this: How long until a) you are completely ignored (proving something, just not what), b) you are asked to leave (proving a conspiracy, just not what kind), or c) you are arrested (again, proving a conspiracy, just not what kind).