Over the last decade or so, Humboldt County has become a hotbed for the manufacturing of garden and agricultural soil products. People in the business of producing compost, or creating soil products or fertilizers by mixing materials such as compost, manures, agricultural waste or products, green material, food waste or other ingredients that tend to heat up during mixing, may be subject to state solid waste regulations.
Activities that involve more than 100 cubic yards total of feedstock and compost, or the use of biosolids (sewage sludge) require authorization from the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Environmental Health’s Local Enforcement Agency (LEA).
The LEA is certified by the California Department of Recycling Resources and Recovery to carry out the state regulatory program for composting operations in Humboldt County. The LEA ensures that California regulatory standards related to compost facility design and operation, environmental health and nuisance control are implemented for such businesses.
Revised California compostable materials handling regulations went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016 and can be accessed at www.humboldtgov.org/686/Solid-Waste-Local-Enforcement-Agency in the “Quick Links” panel.
For more information, contact LEA Program Senior Harriet Hill at 707-445-6215 or hhill@co.humboldt.ca.us.
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