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Some of the private, as well as public food waste composting facilities and projects working in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states are presented.

Biociclo S.A., the composting company opened a new composting facility, which mainly helps in the processing of the industrial food residuals. The primary feedstocks include coffee, tobacco residues, as well as corn processing by-product.

Biosolids, treated sewage sludge, are extensively used as soil amendments and fertilizers over the years. A year-wise survey by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency on biosolids uses and disposal is presented.

A case of marketing compost in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania yards trimming composting operation, which produced 14,000 cubic yards of compost in 2007, is discussed. Insights offered by various screen manufacturers regarding the key features that municipal and private sector buyers look for and factors that customers evaluate when observing an equipment demonstration is presented.

An in-depth information about the grinding equipment used for converting organic waste streams into high value end products are presented as guidelines to be considered while purchasing grinding equipment.

The article discusses the source separated residential composting in the U.S., as it has led to the joining of existing house-hold organic composting programs. It further discusses few new initiatives in the U.S. that were started nationwide in 2007.

The facilities built for processing mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) are discussed. Findings reveal that there are thirteen operating MSW plants in the United States of America.

The role of wood processing companies in the creation of defensible spaces for preventing fires and for cleaning up after significant storms is discussed.

The basic principle of the mixers used in the composting industry, the design as well as models of equipments and the list of manufacturers of such products are presented.

The increase in demand for compostable products like bags, foodservice ware, film packaging and containers; factors like pricing, sustainability as well as specific standards for the products along with the list of suppliers are presented.

The process of mulch colorization, the variations introduced in machinery as well as raw materials and the growing demand for the product due to its popularity is presented.

The article reveals advancement in odor control technologies for composting plants, which is important for corrosion prevention also. On the basis of nature and amount of odor compounds, temperature, moisture level and amount and type of particulates, biofilters and biofilter medias are designed to suit compost plants. Some plants use enzymes to break down odor compounds.

The survey conducted in the year 2006 found that 30 municipalities and counties had implemented source separated household organics collections programs and these municipal agencies made significant investments in collection infrastructure and outreach and education to establish these programs. The 23rd Annual BioCycle West Coast Conference to be held in April 16-18, 2007 in San Diego would feature several sessions that would advise on how to build participation in source separated organics collection programs aimed at residents and commercial and institutional generators.

The status of facilities composting mixed municipal solid wastes (MSW) in United States, which has 14 operating plants, can be described at the best as a steady state. A report that includes facilities of US processing a mixed MSW stream, status of the project, ownership, the system used for processing and the throughput capacity is presented.

The 2006 survey report of food residuals composting activity observed in the institutional sector in the US is presented. The main aim of the 2006 food residuals composting activity survey is to update the database as the current listings get circulated and people provide information about the missed projects.

The YardWorks retail yards are very popular among homeowners and landscapers and in addition to selling compost mulches and blended soils, the company offers decorative stones, hand tools, edging materials and related landscaping and gardening products. It began as a processor of land clearing debris and has grown into a multifaceted company with a host of recycling yards and retail operations around the Richmond Virginia region.

The mixing and matching of screening equipment, by the compost and mulch producers, to meet multiple markets and finished compost variability, is discussed. The effectiveness of final product screening is maximized by the adequate decomposition of the organic feedstocks and moisture content between 30 and 40 percent.

A new generation of process control equipment, from wireless data transmitters to software programs that optimize composting parameters, is examined by the Operator's Forum. Several technology developments and innovations of the Operator's Forum are also highlighted.

A study by Earth Engineering Center of Columbia University provides a picture on how municipal solid waste (MSW) is handled throughout the United States. Of an estimated total of 388 million tons of MSW generated, 28.5 percent is recycled and composted, 7.4 percent is combusted in waste-to-energy plants and 64.1 percent is landfilled.

Compost marketers are posed with a problem whether to bag compost and mulch products for selling. For bagging compost, mulch and blends, production volumes, distribution markets, automation and diversity of bag sizes need to be taken into account, which will surely help in the growth of composting market.

The most important aspect for a composting facility is the odor-free composting operation, especially if it is nearby a populated region. Critical ingredients for neighbor friendly odor management include understanding human response to odors, opting for public relationships, characterizing and monitoring odors generated and using third party oversight of organics recycling activities.

The increased diversion and recycling of the woody fraction of the waste stream has increased the sophistication in the size reduction equipment to process it. Some of the latest designs and innovations in the area of wood recycling equipments are beast horizontal grinders where it utilizes a cutting technology instead of a hammer action, Seko's constellation series of low speed, high torque shredders.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) composting projects, which are launched to separate residential compost able stream from recyclables and trash in the U.S. are discussed. Reports on countries where the composting project has been successful in conjunction with public education efforts to promote waste reduction, recycling, and higher-use objectives are discussed.

The MSW composting projects illustrate the various directions taken by municipalities and private companies, all of whom are committed to diversion over disposal. Updates on the 16 mixed MSW composting facilities in the U.S. are provided such as in Pinetop-lakeside, Arizona, Mariposa county, California and Sumter county, Florida.

A report on agreements between major swine producers and the state Attorney General, which identified 'Environmentally Superior Technologies' (EST) to treat swine manure is presented. ORBIT which is located at Clinton, North Carolina is a high solids thermophilic anaerobic digester that converts swine waste into biogas, and can also co digest MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) and food residuals from cafeterias or large-scale food service operations.

The single-family households in the city of Toronto, Ontario by the end of year 2005, would receive curbside collection of source separated organic (SSO) materials. The collected organics would be processed at a variety of locations and the Dufferin facility and the Halton recycling plant will utilize anaerobic digestion technology supplied by BTA in Germany.

Screening is a unit operation that involves segregation of a mixture of materials with different particle size distributions into two or more fractions. A review of the range of screen and air classifier designs used at composting sites that are available in the markets is presented.

Insights on preventing odors from interfering with production of quality compost are provided by some facility managers and site operators. It is indicated that those operating in more isolated locations are fortunate, especially when potentially odorous feedstocks are being processed.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) promulgated federal regulation, called Part 203 rule, for the management of biosolids as the culmination of a concerted effort aimed at understanding potential impacts of disposal or use of biosolids on public health and environment. The Part 503 regulations set risk-based ceiling standards for certain trace elements and further requirements for pathogen and vector attraction reduction treatments.

The core design and operating principles of the various technology categories included in the publication BioCycle regarding chippers, grinders and shredders are discussed. Particles by repeated pounding with hammers are made into smaller and smaller pieces with the help of grinders.

The Burlington County, New Jersey Resource Recovery complex co-located all of its solid waste processing, treatment, resource recovery and recycling facilities at the landfill to take advantage of potential synergies. The resource recovery park has evolved a home for innovation and entrepreneurship, research, education and technology development within a framework of a partnership with Rutgers University's.

The Metro Council, the Portland, Oregon areas regional government, voted to pass a tip fee rate for source separated organics and authorized Metro to enter into a contract with a Washington based composter for transportation, processing and composting. Metro council adopted a rate of $ 47.50/ton at its transfer station and $ 39 for transportation and composting and also $ 8.50/ton to reload materials into long haul containers.

Traditional and Nontraditional markets need to be recognized to understand how to increase the dollar value of compost markets. Examples on how to value benefits as well as increase the baseline price of compost products are presented.

Markham Ontario is rolling out the fist phase of its new 3-stream collection program known as 'Mission Green' designed to cut the number of transport trailer loads of Markham garbage going to Michigan landfills by 656 trucks or 23,000 tons of MSW annually. MarkhamEs waste diversion program includes blue box recycling, leaf and yard trimmings collection, a ban on setting out grass clippings, backyard composting, a recycling drop-off center and public space recycling.

Revised specifications and successful highway projects set the stage for compost-based solutions for erosion and sediment control and storm water management. Minnesota DOT's inclusion of compost BMPs in its road construction specs will be a major factor in increasing the use of compost among contractors and landscapers.

The city Akron, Ohio constructed a 73 dry ton/day in-vessel biosolids composting facility, which was opened in 1986 while in California, the Las Virgenes municipal water district in Calabasas, built an 8-bay, 10 dry ton/day U.S. filter/IPS biosolids composting plant in 1993 to process 100 percent biosolids produced by the city's wastewater treatment plant. The changes at these two composting operation is highlighted.

The State of Garbage in America is one of the two main sources of national data that explains how solid waste is managed in the United States. The State of Garbage in America collects tonnage data on municipal solid waste (MSW) and inquires different states the percentage of amounts recycled, composted and landslide.

The individual and collective goal of reporters in 'BioCycle' for the year 2003 is to create resources that improve the quality of soil, waterways and air, from wastes. Some of the important topic areas for the year are highlighted.