[USCC] treating compost as a science, art and business

[Len Walde]

I second John on this, ----  every "compatible" biomass material must carry 
it own weight as an expense line-item, or it should not be used.  Many new 
composters learn this lesson the hard way by having to land-fill poor 
material, at their own expense.

We have researched the composting  of horse manure/bedding at length for a 
number of large horse operations and one often overlooked element is the 
prevalent use of antibiotics by owners, breeders, and trainers.  Their 
presence in the biomass often severely limits the effectiveness of the 
composting process and some of them can carry though to the food chain. 
There is not much hard data on this but it is a matter of concern, both as a 
technological composting problem but also from a food and ground-water 
safety perspective.   This last characteristic is being discussed and 
studied in the wastewater treatment world as it impacts the use of 
biosolids in agriculture. This is something to think about.  We have done 
some work on this problem and have ideas in the works but any technological 
solution adds cost to the finished product.  Rest assured that the time will 
come when the horse people will have to bear the burden as a cost of 
disposal, when horse manure/bedding is tested and then treated like 
biosolids-containing metals and antibiotics,  are controlled in many more 
jurisdictions. When this happens only "organic" horse manure will be 
processed into a compost product.

One additional observation:  I have visited a large horse operation in 
Florida where they practice the spreading of the biomass on their own land, 
while ignoring the impact on the water table.  I am waiting for this 
practice to hit the news.

For what it is worth!

Best wishes,

Len Walde,P.E.

               Sigma Energy Engineering, Inc.
Creative Problem Solving & Process Engineering
Serving Agriculture, Mining, Industry & Commerce
             through "Symbiotic Recycling" tm
                        Est. 1985

      Ph:  925-254-7633
      E-mail: sigma at ix.netcom.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John A. Crockett" <jac at magicsoil.com>
To: "'U.S. Composting Council listserve'" <compost at mailman.cloudnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2007 10:09 AM
Subject: [USCC] treating compost as a science, art and business



Recently I saw a post on the list asking if anyone was willing to accept
horse manure and shavings with no tipping fee, and they even expected the
composter to pay for the loading and hauling.

I tried composting horse manure and shavings for six and a half years,
without much tipping fee, and one of the things I learned is that finished
product sales income, even at $25 / cy, does not provide enough income to
provide a reasonable profit after paying the cost of proper management of
the material.   Composting, to be done right, and be sustainable, must yield
a reasonable return on investment of capital and other resources, including
our time and energy.  Finished product sales income can't cover all those
expense.  Those who generate the organic residuals need to bare a
significant portion of the cost of transforming those organic residuals into
a marketable product.

Creating a sustainable environment requires that we cover all costs. To
create a better industry image, we've got to improve our processing so there
are NO foul odors, and no risk to ground water quality, no adverse affects
from our composting.  That costs money, and much of that has to be covered,
in my opinion, by tipping fees.

If you don't believe you, and your services have real value, then your
belief will undermine your ability to command a reasonable tipping fee.
With some organic residuals, $50 per ton, or more, may be a very reasonable
tipping fee.  If you're a composting professional, and want to stay in
business, look at realistic numbers, an income and expense statement.

Working Together to Create a Sustainable Environment,
John A. Crockett, a.k.a. Dr. Mike Robe
Mother Nature's Farms, Inc.
(845) 225-7763
http://www.magicsoil.com/
jac at magicsoil.com




Join us at the US Composting Council's 16th Annual Conference & Trade Show
Oakland Marriott City Center, Oakland, CA | February 9-12, 2008.
The National forum for those involved in the development and expansion of 
the composting and organics recycling industry.
Conference Highlights, Registration forms, Exhibitor information and 
Sponsorship Opportunities available at the USCC website: 
www.compostingcouncil.org or call the USCC at 631.737.4931
______________________________________________________________________________
Compost maillist - compost at mailman.cloudnet.com
http://mailman.cloudnet.com/mailman/listinfo/compost
_______________________________________
This list is a service provided by the US Composting Council (USCC).
(c) Copyright 2004 United States Composting Council - All rights reserved

Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the USCC, the Foundation, or 
the Board of Directors.

Non-members of USCC are encouraged to join the Council through its website 
at: http://www.compostingcouncil.org/membership.cfm

Members posting CC copies to the list and other addresses may have their 
posting privileges suspended. For discussion list policies and information 
regarding subscribing, unsubscribing, digest or other options, go to: 
http://mailman.cloudnet.com/mailman/listinfo/compost

For additional help in unsubcribing or to report bugs and problems, send a 
message to the List Manager at compostlistmanager at compostingcouncil.org