Recycled Organics Unit

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The Recycled Organics Unit has developed a number of information resources and tools to assist the industry in managing risk:

Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational Health and Safety and Commercial Composting (2003)
Three volume package for the recycled organics industry to assist in the areas of occupational health and safety (OH&S) and commercial composting.

General Product Quality and Risk

Producing Quality Compost (2003)
Package of information sheets to assist compost manufacturers in producing quality composts and value added products containing recycled organics with a focus on compost quality and risk

Buyers Guide to Recycled Organics Products (2003)
Information package for buyers to differentiate between high and low quality recycled organics products and to identify the best product for their needs.
In particular Information Sheet 6-4: Buyer beware: Quality issues for recycled organics products.

Potential Chemical Contamination Risks and Management Strategies

Risk Management Tools for the Recycled Organics Industry Second Edition (2004)
This report provides access to resources, tools and services to manage the potential risk of herbicide contamination of compost.

Persistent Herbicides Risk Management Program: Research Report and Recommended Action Plan (2004)
This report details the findings from the applied composting trial to confirm the persistence or otherwise of three specific herbicides: clopyralid, picloram and triclopyr. Whilst there is no evidence of these chemicals to date in garden organics composts in Australia, clopyralid and picloram were shown to be capable of persisting under NSW composting industry best practice aerobic windrow composting; triclopyr was shown to effectively degrade. The report recommends action strategies for both industry and Government to address these risks.

Auxin-Type Herbicide Bioassay (2004)
A step-by-step bioassay method where sensitive plants are grown in a samply of composted product and compared with reference photos to allow clear identification of herbicide damage. The bioassay has been developed as a risk management tool to avoid herbicide contamination of composted products.

Risk Assessment of Garden Maintenance Chemicals in Recycled Organics Products (2002)
A report evaluating the risk of domestically used garden maintenance chemicals on downstream recycling industries that use municipally collected garden organics as a feedstock material.