Create compost qualities for specific market uses

Compost is used for a variety of purposes, some of which are specific to a market sector.
Composting should be approached as the production of a revenue-generating organic material, rather than disposal of a waste. The shift in focus toward revenue generation can affect the quality of the finished product and the way customers view compost, resulting in higher demand for the product. Decisions regarding product quality, collection methods, processing and refining are dependent upon the uses planned for the compost. Compost operators must become familiar with the specific applications, needs and concerns of the market sectors they are targeting, so they can modify how they create compost accordingly. Compost qualities are a function of feedstock composition and effectiveness of the processing operation. By conducting market research to identify target markets, decisions regarding feedstock volumes, quality and processing will be based on the results of that research. Efforts spent in planning to produce a quality compost from the start will pay off in returning customers.
● Specifications currently in use by state Departments of Transportation asking for STA Certified Compost: https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/SpecifyCompost
● Case studies of compost use for state Departments of Transportation applications may be found here: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.compostingcouncil.org/resource/resmgr/documents/compost_use/Compost_Use_for_DOT.pdf
● Educate your customers how to buy quality compost. Using high-quality compost means making sure that the compost you purchase has the qualities you need for your purpose. Here are the resources to understand how to judge compost for yourself to choose what’s right for different uses. https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/BuyCompost
with high levels of contamination will need to be evaluated to determine if they are “clean” enough. https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/CompostContamination Contamination includes both obvious and invisible items:
● Manmade inerts (trash): Rejecting highly contaminated loads and pre-screening materials go a long way to reducing contamination before it is shredded into smaller pieces.
● Persistent Herbicides: Establishing proper feedstock testing protocols will help ensure feedstocks that can taint large volumes of finished compost are not used. https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/PersistentHerbicides
● Immature compost can retard seed germination and damage plants.
● Turf topdressing applications may require a finer screened compost to meet customer needs, requiring a smaller screen size or additional screening.
● Erosion control applications normally require a courser compost, so adjust screen size accordingly.
● Some compost manufacturers offer customers the option to create specialized blends for their exact needs.
● If creating blended products, weather considerations should also be considered to not impact finished blends.
● Also will need to ensure proper wrapping and storage is considered for bagged material.
● If no delivery options are offered, ensuring proper and safe loading for customers should be determined.
● Can you reduce contamination at the source?
● Can you blend it with other products?
● What feedstock biases do your compost use customers have? Can you either educate your customers or change your feedstocks to fit your customers’ expectations?