06- 096 C.M.R. ch. 410, § 6

Current through 2024-51, December 18, 2024

Section 096-410-6 - Reduced Procedure For Select Compost Facilities

A.Applicability. This section applies to compost facilities that choose to follow the siting, design and operational standards in this section and compost the following residuals:

(1) Any amount of Type IA residuals; and/or

(2) Up to 400 cubic yards monthly of Type IB residuals; and/or

(3) Up to 200 cubic yards monthly of Type IC residuals or up to 200 cubic yards monthly of Type II residuals.

If the conditions of this section will not be met, or if the applicant chooses to site, design or operate the facility in a manner that would not meet the standards of this section, then the applicant must submit an application to the Department for a license to develop and operate the compost facility under sections 2 through 4 of this Chapter. Facilities licensed under this section are subject to the operating standards in section 4 of this Chapter.

B.Reduced Procedure Siting and Design Standards.In addition to the general siting and design standards contained in section 2 of this Chapter, a compost facility licensed under this section must comply with the following standards:

(1)Working surface:Mixing, composting, curing, storing or otherwise handing residuals, and compost at the facility must be on surfaces meeting one of the following standards:

(a) On soils that a Maine Certified Soil Scientist has determined are moderately well-drained to well-drained, as classified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and that are at least 24 inches above the seasonal high water table, bedrock, and sand or gravel deposits.

(b) On a pad that is constructed a minimum of two (2) feet above the seasonal high water table and is either composed of:

(i) a minimum of eighteen (18) inches of soil material having between 15 and 35% fines, covered with a minimal six (6)- inch drainage layer of compacted gravel; or

(ii) soil covered with asphalt or concrete.

(c)Alternative Surface: On a surface determined by a Maine Certified Soil Scientist, soil engineer or other qualified individual as being suitable for the proposed activity, taking into account the other aspects of the facility design, such as a roofed structure or in-vessel system. An applicant must arrange a pre-application meeting with the Department if proposing an alternative surface under this section.

(2)Pad: At a facility handling Type IC residuals, the receiving and mixing pad must be constructed with asphalt, concrete, or other similar material. At a facility handling any amount of Type II residuals, or more than 750 cubic yards of Type IC residuals annually, the entire waste handling area must consist of a pad constructed of asphalt, concrete, or other similar material for the entire waste handling area, excluding the storage area for compost meeting the requirements of section 6(C)(5) of this Chapter.

(3)Runoff, Storm Water, and Leachate Control: Surface water drainage must be diverted away from receiving, processing, composting, curing, and storage areas. The facility must also be designed to manage runoff and collect all leachate to prevent contamination of groundwater or surface water. Water falling on the facility during a storm of an intensity up to a 25-year, 24-hour storm event must infiltrate or be detained such that the storm water rate of flow from the facility after construction does not exceed the rate prior to construction. The facility design must include provisions to contain, collect and treat any leachate and contaminated stormwater or runoff generated at the facility; and

(4)Slopes: Surfaces on which composting takes place must slope between 2% and 6%, and where necessary, be graded to prevent ponding of water.

C.Operating Requirements. In addition to the operating requirements of section 4 of this Chapter, a compost facility licensed under this section is subject to the following additional operating requirements. Facilities licensed pursuant to 06-096C.M.R. ch. 409(9) are subject to the operating requirements of section 4 of this Chapter, and the following additional operating requirements:

(1)Pad Inspection: All soil surfaces used for residuals mixing and composting must annually be graded clean and re-compacted. All concrete and asphalt pads must annually be scraped clean and inspected for cracks or other deformities, and repaired as needed. The operator must maintain the minimum two (2)-foot separation to bedrock, groundwater and sand or gravel deposits.

(2)Odor Control: The facility must be operated to prevent nuisance odors. The facility must:

(a) Operate and maintain the odor control system approved by the Department;

(b) Receive incoming putrescible residuals on a pile of sawdust or other sorbent, high carbon compost amendment;

(c) Contain and treat process air or cover odorous piles with a layer of finished compost or other suitable compost amendment;

(d) Properly aerate piles such that composting is aerobic throughout the pile;

(e) Blend materials to achieve a homogenous mix throughout the pile; and

(f) Alter the compost recipe as needed to alleviate odorous emissions.

(3)Pathogen treatment and vector attraction reduction: Type IC residuals with the potential to contain human pathogens and Type II residuals must be composted to achieve a Class A Pathogen Reduction and Class A Vector Attraction Reduction in accordance with 06-096C.M.R. ch. 419, Appendix B, unless otherwise approved in the facility's utilization license issued under 06-096C.M.R. ch. 419. To attain these standards by composting, all of the following standards must be met:

(a)Pathogen Reduction: Each particle of residual is maintained at 55 degrees Celsius or higher for at least three (3) consecutive days. For windrow systems, this standard is presumed to be met if the residual is maintained at operating conditions of 55 degrees Celsius or higher for 15 days or longer, and during the period when the compost is maintained at 55 degrees or higher, there is a minimum of five turnings of the compost pile;

(b)Vector Attraction Reduction: Residual must be treated by an aerobic composting process for 14 days or longer. During that time, the temperature of the residual must be higher than 40 degrees Celsius and the average temperature of the residual must be higher than 45 degrees Celsius; and

(c)Analytical Standard: The density of Salmonella sp. bacteria in the finished compost must be less than three (3) Most Probable Number per four (4) grams of total solids (dry weight basis) or the density of fecal coliform in the finished compost is shown to be less than 1000 Most Probable Number per gram of total solids (dry weight basis). This analytical standard must be met at the time the compost is distributed for utilization.

(4)Static Pile Composting: The following additional standards apply to composting Type IC or Type II residuals using the static pile method:

(a) The static piles must be aerated during the active composting stage;

(b) Detention time in the static aerated pile must be at least 21 days;

(c) If an auger, tub grinder hammer mill, or other Department-approved mixer is not used to mix the initial ingredients for the pile, the pile must be broken down half way through the active composting process and re-formed; and

(d) To maintain temperatures throughout the pile and control odors, the pile must be fully covered with an insulating blanket of at least 12 inches of finished compost, sawdust, or other material as approved by the Department during the active compost phase.

(5)Stability/Maturity: Residuals that have completed the active composting phase and are only destined for bulk distribution for direct agricultural uses or blending with other residuals must also be cured until the equivalent of a Dewar's stability class of III or greater is achieved and the final C:N ratio of the finished compost is less than 25:1. Additionally, compost that is destined for bagging or high-end horticultural purposes must be cured until the equivalent of a Dewar's stability class of IV or greater is achieved, the final C:N ratio is less than 25:1 and the total NH₃-N is less than 800 parts per million.

NOTE: Compost facility operators may opt to use other industry standard tests to achieve this standard, provided that they receive written approval from the Department.

(6) An operations log must be kept at the facility and made available for Department review during normal business hours. The operations log must contain the following:

(a) Source and volume of residual received on a daily basis;

(b) Date of individual pile construction and breakdown;

(c) Pile composition (mixture recipe);

(d) Date and time of turning or otherwise aerating;

(e) Process monitoring data;

(f) Date the pile is put into curing and the date it is taken out of curing;

(g) Date, time, volume, and type of samples obtained from the facility; and

(h) Name of the person collecting samples at the facility.

(7) The facility may not receive more than the volumes in section 6(A) of this Chapter.

(8) Residuals must be handled on approved surfaces. Type IC and Type II residuals must be off loaded and mixed on a receiving pad meeting the standards in section 6(B)(2) of this Chapter.

D.Application Requirements. The applicant shall submit to the Department, on forms developed by the Department, information sufficient to meet the standards and submissions requirements of 06-096C.M.R. ch. 400(4) and the application requirements of section 3 of this Chapter. For outdoor compost facilities, instead of the site investigation information required by section 3(H) of this Chapter, the applicant may submit a report from a Maine Certified Soil Scientist or other qualified individual that either:

(1) Verifies that the waste handling areas for the proposed facility are on soils that are moderately well-drained to well-drained, as classified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and are at least 24 inches above the water table, bedrock, and sand or gravel deposits; or

(2) Identifies all major limitations to the proposed development presented by the soil characteristics and describes the techniques to be used to overcome the soil limitations identified in the soil survey.

06- 096 C.M.R. ch. 410, § 6