The Composting Handbook: A How-to and Why Manual for Farm, Municipal, Institutional and Commercial Composters

The Composting Handbook provides a single guide to the science, principles and best practices of composting for large-scale composting operations facing a variety of opportunities and challenges converting raw organic materials into a useful and marketable product.

Composting is a well-established and increasingly important method to recycle and add value to organic by-products. Many, if not most, of the materials composting treats are discarded materials that would otherwise place a burden on communities, industries, farms and the environment. Composting converts these materials into a valuable material, compost, that regenerates soils improving soils for plant growth and environmental conservation.

The Composting Handbook expands on previously available resources by incorporating new information, new subjects and new practices, drawing its content from current scientific principles, research, engineering and industry experience. In both depth and breadth, it covers the knowledge that a compost producer needs to succeed. Topics include the composting process, methods of composting, equipment, site requirements, environmental issues and impacts, business knowledge, safety, and the qualities, uses and markets for the compost products.

The Composting Handbook is an invaluable reference for composting facility managers and operators, prospective managers and operators, regulators, policy makers, environmental advocates, educators, waste generators and managers and generally people interested in composting as a business or a solution. It is also appropriate as a textbook for college courses and a supplemental text for training courses about composting or organic waste management.

Dr. Rynk has been researching and teaching about processing of waste and agricultural materials for over 30 years. His areas of expertise include waste management, biomass processing and conversion, natural treatment processes, odor management, spontaneous combustion and energy conversion and conservation. He is internationally recognized for his work and expertise in the field of composting. He has authored numerous publications about composting, waste management and energy. He holds a Professional Engineering license in Agricultural Engineering. He is a regular instructor for composting training schools and workshops, nationally and internationally. He is co-instructor and co-developer for the “Foundations of Composting” workshop, held annually at the U.S. Composting Council conference. Bob was the editor and lead author for the original On-Farm Composting Handbook, which is the precursor to The Composting Handbook. Bob is Professor Emeritus with The State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill.

Ginny Black served on the Compost Councils Research and Education Foundation Board of Trustees since 1995, chairing the organization since 2014. She served on the US Composting Council's Board of Directors from 1995 to 2010. She currently chairs the Minnesota Composting Council (MNCC), a non-profit organization founded in 2012. The MNCC is a State Chapter of the US Composting Council, working with composters, businesses, and the public sector to divert and process organic materials to compost facilities. Ginny served as a technical staff person for recycling and composting with the Minnesota State Agency's from 1987 to 2013, setting up recycling and composting programs throughout the state of MN. In her last 12-years she focused exclusively on promoting reduction and composting of organic materials. She also served on the City of Plymouth's city council from 1995 to 2013 and was the Councils Representative to the City's Environmental Quality Commission.

Dr Jane Gilbert has a background in microbiology and biochemistry and has been involved in the organics recycling sector for over twenty-five years. She is the former chief executive of the UK Composting Association, co-founder of the European Compost Network and the current Chair of the International Solid Waste Association’s Biological Treatment Working Group. Jane is a Fellow of the UK’s professional body, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, and is an ISWA International Waste Manager. Over the years, she has authored a number of technical publications on composting and the benefits of compost use. Jane trades as Carbon Clarity, providing consultancy, training and writing services.

Equipped with degrees in Agriculture (Organic Farming) and Environmental Science, Johannes has worked in organics recycling, composting and the use of recycled organics products for over 35 years both in Australia and overseas. He has extensive experience as consultant and researcher in all key areas of the organics recycling supply chain, including source separation, processing and use of recycled organic products in agriculture & horticulture. Throughout his career, Johannes successfully straddled the waste management, organics processing and agricultural worlds, being able to work and deliver significant outcomes in all of them. In 2017 he established the Centre for Recycling of Organic Waste and Nutrients (CROWN) at the University of Queensland’s School of Agricultural and Food Sciences (Australia). CROWN’s activities cover the sourcing, processing and use of all municipal, commercial and agricultural organic waste and nutrient streams, focusing on the beneficial use of raw and composted organic resources for land management and plant production purposes, including the development of next-generation organo-mineral fertilisers

Mary Schwarz has been in the education, outreach, and research arena for 40 years, the last 15 of which were at Cornell Waste Management Institute (CWMI) in managing organic residuals. Her specific areas of expertise include composting, especially mortality and animal by-product composting and the use of manure solids as bedding. In her work with CWMI she has become internationally recognized for expertise in the field of composting. She has authored numerous publications about composting, mortality composting, manure solids as bedding and carbon footprint. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and a Master of Arts in Teaching Agriculture, Extension and Adult Education.