Education & Resources
Written Resources
Websites
New York Times Compost News
The New York Times provides a section topic for composting.
Global Recycling Network
GRN is a free-access public site dedicated to recycling-related information. They offer all companies involved in the Recycling Industry a wide exposure.
How to Compost.org
This site is a hub of information for anyone interested in the various aspects of composting.
Amazing Environmental Organization Web Directory
Environment Search Engine
CORNELL Composting Page
This website provides access to a variety of composting educational materials and programs developed at Cornell University.
Food to Fertilizer: Compost Counts at Zion Lodge
Xanterra Parks and Resorts® composts all of its food wastes, lawn clippings, and shredded paper at Zion Lodge in Zion National Park.
EPA Plain English Guide to the 503 Rules
The EPA Plain English Guide to the 503 Rules available on-line in PDF format.
Rot Web Home Composting Information Site
Basic information about home composting.
Philly Compost
Helping Philadelphia achieve a zero waste future by keeping food and yard waste out of landfills through composting in our neighborhoods.
Compost A to Z: Complete Guide to Composting
Complete home composting guide to what type of composter and method to use, what to compost, benefits of composting, composting 101, FAQs, mistakes and troubleshooting. By GAIAM Life.
National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology
Founded in 1989, its student outreach programs, campus consulting, natural resource reduction competition, and educational events and resources reach about a thousand campuses each year.
College and University Recycling Coalition
Mission: To advance recycling and sustainable materials management at colleges and universities.
A Guide to Conducting and Assessing a Food Waste Assessment
Food waste data, research, toolkits, educational information, and community solutions
Books
The Practical Handbook of Compost Engineering
Author: Roger T. Haug
Publisher: Lewis Publishers
CRC Press, Inc.
On-Farm Composting Handbook
Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Services Cooperative Extension
Editor: Robert Rynk
Sludge Composting and Utilization
A Design and Operating Manual
Authors: Mark E Singley, Andrew J. Higgins, Michelle Frumkin-Rosengaus
The Science of Composting
Author: Eliot Epstein
Publisher: Technomic Publishing Company, Inc.
Composting and Recycling Municipal Solid Waste
Authors: Luis F. Diaz, George M. Savage, Linda L. Eggerth, Clarence G. Golueke
Publisher: Lewis Publishers
Test Methods for the Examination of Composting
Co-Editors: Philip B. Leege, Wayne H. Thomson
Published by: The United States Composting Council
Western Fertilizer Handbook
Produced by: Soil Improvement Committee California Fertilizer Association
Order from: The Interstate Printers & Publishers
PDFs
Small to Medium Scale Composting of Food Wastes
Cornell University & City Green, Inc.
Compost – A Guide for Evaluating and Using Compost Materials as Soil Amendments
By William Darlington, Consultant, Soil & Plant Laboratory, Inc. Orange Office
Compost Quality: Performance Requirements
By California Integrated Waste Management Board
Periodicals
BioCycle (published monthly)
Journal of Composting & Recycling
Published by: The JG Press, Inc.
ISSN 0276-5055
Compost Science & Utilization (published quarterly)
Published by: The JG Press, Inc.
ISSN 1065-657X
Resource Recycling (published monthly)
North America’s Recycling and Composting Journal
Published by: Resource Recycling, Inc.
MSW Management (published seven times annually)
Published by: Forester Communications Inc.
Articles
More Composting Tips and Information
Composting with Food Waste
Green Mountain Technologies' presentation from the U.S. Composting Council's 2023 Conference.
Compost Facility Odor Management
Green Mountain Technologies’ Jeff Gage’s PowerPoint presentation on Compost Facility Odor Management at the U.S. Composting Council’s 2013 Conference.
Tools of the Trade
Green Mountain Technologies’ Jeff Gage’s presentation on composting tools at the U.S. Composting Council’s 2013 Conference. (3.5 MB)
Michael Bryan-Brown, Green Mountain Technologies: “Composting in the Big Apple”
Green Mountain Technologies’ Michael Bryan-Brown’s presentation on urban composting pioneer Battery Park at the U.S. Composting Council’s 2013 Conference. (2.3 MB)
On-Farm Composting Handbook
In this handbook, Cooperative Extension, provides an overview of composting as it is practiced on the farm.
Effects of organic matter amendments on net primary productivity and greenhouse gas emissions in annual grasslands
Rebecca Ryals and Whendee L. Silver, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, 130 Mulford Hall No. 3114, Berkeley, California 94720 USA
“Food Forward: SOS: Save our Soil” courtesy of PBS.org
This PBS feature program shares an insightful look at the precious ecosystem of our soil, it’s link to the food we eat, and how we can go about saving it.
Compost Training Videos
Composting 101: The Guide for a Beginning Composter
Videos Listed:
INSIDE A COMPOST PILE
STAGES OF COMPOSTING
WHY DO WE COMPOST?
WHY I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT COMPOSTING
WHAT ARE FEEDSTOCKS?
WHERE TO TAKE TEMPERATURE READINGS IN YOUR COMPOST PILE
HOW TO TAKE A TEMPERATURE READING
HOW DO YOU KEEP COMPOST FROM STINKING?
IMPORTANCE OF MANAGING MOISTURE
MEASURING THE BULK DENSITY OF WOOD SHAVINGS
THE ROLE OF CARBON
WHAT IS CURING IN THE COMPOSTING PROCESS?
WHEN DOES COMPOST CURING END?
The Biological and Mineral Science of Composting
Videos Listed:
JEFF MEETS A COMPOST PILE
HOW DO MICROBES MOVE?
SECRET LIFE OF A MICROBE
WHAT DO MICROBES EAT?
WHY COMPOST IS BLACK
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE OXYGEN STORY
WHAT IS MINERALIZATION IN COMPOST?
BUGS IN COMPOST
THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF COMPOST
WHAT ARE MICROORGANISMS?
ARE MICROORGANISMS ANIMALS OR PLANTS?
WHY ARE MICROORGANISMS GOOD FOR THE PLANET?
WHAT MICROORGANISMS DO
