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The article focuses on the 2011 Mixed Solid Waste (MSW) composting survey of the periodical "BioCycle." It mentions 10 MSW composting facilities which include the Z-Best Compost Facility in Gilroy, California, West Yellowstone composting facility in West Yellowstone, Montana and the Marlborough composting facility in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Among the 10 facilities, it says that the Prairieland Compost Facility in Truman, Minnesota is shifting to Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) production.

The article reports that live wheatgrass labeled as "organic" was pulled for testing from supermarket shelves in July 2009 in California. It states that the test turned up the synthetic pyrethroid pesticide bifenthrin and the state's Deparment of Food and Agriculture sent letters to organic certifiers and farmers and named compost products positive for bifenthrin. It adds that bifenthrin in municipal green waste composts affect their certification for use in organic agriculture.

The article reports on the need to develop proper safety practice in confined composting facility as revealed by an accident in Arvin, California. It citers a two-part article by Nellie Brown which shows that 34 percent of fatalities in livestock manure handling facilities are accounted to confined spaces for maintenance and repair. Brown suggests that to address confined space issues, proper design, training ad equipment are required.

The article focuses on the radiant heating and cooling system at Hall St. Helena Winery in St. Helena in Napa Valley, California. Project engineer Peter Simmonds says that radiant heating and cooling is anew trend in wineries and they explored a range of conventional systems to new technologies such as chilled structural beans. It mentions that the winery has achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

The article focuses on the efforts of the Portland, Oregon and the city of San Jose, California to evaluate the compostable products in their respective organics recycling programs. It says that the contract of Portland with Cedar Grove Composting has ended in 2011, in which various companies in Portland were permitted to receive food waste. Moreover, the city of Sam Jose has signed a 15-year agreement with Zero Waste Energy Development Co. (ZWED) for the processing of its commercial organics.