This package has been developed to assist the Recycled Organics Industry in the areas of occupational health and safety and commercial composting. The package consists of three volumes:

• Volume 1: Implementation Workbook
• Volume 2: A Review of Potential Risks of Infection and Risk Management Strategies
• Volume 3: Induction Manual for Compost Facility Staff

The ROU has partnered with Agriculture Victoria and the organics processing industry on a national basis to develop national competency standards for the industry.

These competency standards have been endorsed by industry and are now formally incorporated into the National Rural Production Training Package.

The Agri-Food Industry Skills Council is responsible for the Rural Production Training Package.

Guidance package that will assist councils, their communities and the composting industry to better understand the issues and decisions involved in the establishment and siting of composting facilities.

This package defines the key steps in designing an efficient process control system for a range of different types of composting facilities.

This package is a practical guide to assist compost manufacturers to produce quality composts and value added products containing recycled organics. The guide has been written and produced to assist the composting industry manufacture quality products with a view to realising better returns and consumer satisfaction from their products.

This package aids in understanding the fundamentals of composting and enables operators to manipulate the process to maximise the rate of decomposition of the organic material and meet other environmental or quality specifications.

This is the first comprehensive study to be published on the greenhouse impacts of composting facility operations. This study reviews existing literature on greenhouse gas emissions from composting processes, in addition to developing a model to describe greenhouse gas emissions from composting facilities.

Identifies commercial scale technologies or systems that can process food organics and convert these materials into valuable, safe and useful end-products. Technologies considered include in-vessel aerobic composting, windrow composting, anaerobic digestion, stock food manufacture, and direct soil injection of food organics.

This publication provides an easy-to-read account of how to establish and manage an on-site, mid-scale vermiculture unit for the commercial and industrial sector. The guide includes practical information as to the development of such a system including feedstock preparation, monitoring and maintenance procedures and use of the vermicast end product.

This study aimed to determine the maximum processing capacity for processing of common compostable organic materials produced by the commercial and industrial sector by on-site, continuous flow vermiculture technology.

This report provides an evaluation of on-site size reduction technologies for a range of compostable organics raw materials to enable more effective on-site compostable organics processing suitable for mid-scale on-site C&I sector use.

This report outlines technology options available in Australia and overseas, briefly evaluates their potential performance, reviews steps in each process that are essential to maintain process control, and site approvals/licensing requirements that are specific to New South Wales.

Contact details for manufacturers of on-site composting systems.

This study aimed to determine the range of organic monostreams that can be efficiently processed in vermiculture systems and to establish whether the addition of a carbonaceous bulking agent (shredded cardboard) could improve the treatability of the feedstocks.

Information on how on-farm composting works, advantages of on-farm composting, process control, monitoring the rocess and sucessfully using the composted product.

An aid to the Recycled Organics Industry to avoid the risk of potentially persistent herbicides in compostable organic materials.

A report that details findings from an applied composting trial to confirm the persistence or otherwise of three specific herbicides: clopyralid, picloram and triclopyr

A qualitative evaluation of the risk of garden maintenance chemicals in recycled organics products.

This review examines issues relating to the size reduction and composting of composite wood products. The composting of these materials is not widespread, possible due to concerns pertaining to the potentially toxic effects of some constituent chemicals used during the manufacture of composite wood products.

Volume 1 - Literature review of vermiculture to establish status of mid-scale vermiculture and the range of relevant compostable organics that could be managed through vermiculture systems.
Volume 2 - Appendices.

This easy to read package of Information Sheets will help support buyers to differentiate between high and low quality recycled organics products and to identify the best product for their needs.
A promotional Poster for this package is also available.

This reference guide is of value to those responsible for using, or advising on the proper use of recycled organics products. The key benefits of each product is highlighted and guidance on how to use them successfully and improve the environment is also given.
A promotional Poster for this package is also available.

The Product Selector is an online information resource designed to help in the selection of a recycled organics product for specific requirements. Recently updated to incorporate recent changes to the relevant Australian Standards.

Easy to read fact sheets are available to guide users on the environmental benefits of using recycled organics in a range of applications. These fact sheets have been developed by the Recycled Organics Unit and The Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW).

Fact Sheet 1: Organics recycling offers major environmental benefits
Fact Sheet 2: Conserving water using compost materials
Fact Sheet 3: Reducing soil erosion with compost materials
Fact Sheet 4: Sustainable landscaping using compost material

The Recycled Organics Unit has produced a review of recycled organics products application field trials in intensive agriculture in Australia. This report consists of four volumes:
Volume 1 - Introduction
Volume 2 - Viticulture
Volume 3 - Fruit and Orchard Production
See also Calculators

Easy to read fact sheets are available to guide users on the environmental benefits of using recycled organics in a range of applications. These fact sheets have been developed by the Recycled Organics Unit and The Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW).
Fact Sheet 5: Using compost materials for sustainable viticulture

This guide will support government and industry to accelerate the expansion of and markets for recycled organics products. The expansion of markets for recycled organics products will sustain and potentially increase the diversion of compostable organic materials from landfill.

This report identifies New South Wales spreading service providers and lists them by region. Also identified are the types of products the service providers spread and the spreading equipment suppliers.

An agricultural soil-testing regime to inform soil and crop specific recycled organics product application.

A summary of the benefits of composted mulch when used in viticulture production. Benefits include: a reduced risk in crop failure; increased revenue; reduced farm management costs; increased farm capital value; and, improved environmental performance.

A step-by-step guide to the identification, evaluation and quantitative estimation of regional agricultural/horticultural markets for composts to enable prioritisation of viable market opportunities by recycled organics enterprises. This document provides:
• Example surveys for growers (appendix 4);
• A framework for communication of value to growers (page 45);
• Use of farm budget studies; and,
• Criteria for evaluating potential market viability, with summary tables of vegetable, orchard and broadacre potential viability in NSW (section 3.3).

Pests and diseases cause significant economic crop loss in agricultural production systems, and growers identify management of pests and diseases as one of the top farm management issues across NSW. This document provides:
• A review of research into the use of compost for disease suppression;
• An overview of pest and disease organisms that affect plant root, collar and foliage and identifies the organisms that experience suppression from compost application;
• An overview of compost characteristics associated with disease suppression and how disease suppression by composts is measured;
• Composts as an additional option for incorporation into integrated pest and disease management strategies.

These product specifications and application guidelines are targeted at maximising agricultural performance from the application of composted mulches for orchard production in NSW.

These product specifications and application guidelines targeted at maximising agricultural performance from the application of composted mulches for grape production in NSW.

This calculator can be used to estimate values of N, P and K in composted mulch applied to vineyards or orchards to maximise displacement of current fertiliser practices.

The treatment of stormwater is an emerging use for recycled organics product blends which offers significant promise in terms of market potential and viability. This report reviews existing information regarding stormwater treatment incorporating recycled organics and provides recommendations for expanding demand creation opportunities.

This report provides a snapshot of current and near future practices of the energy sector in the use of garden organics and CMR (overburden) from composting facilities for energy recovery in New South Wales. The report provides a better understanding of the process technologies and technical specifications at biofuel facilities and the barriers limiting the use of municipal garden organics as biofuel. This report also provides a classification of oversize and kerbside collected garden organics under the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target, NSW Greenhouse Gas Abatement and Green Power schemes.

Compost tea is emerging as a crop protection tool for organic agriculture for several reasons including: beneficial microorganisms; readily available source of nutrients; ease of application and integration into existing fertility and disease control programs; and, lower transport costs being produced on-site or as a concentrate for dilution. This report provides a concise overview of the current use, practices and benefits of compost teas in New South Wales.

This NSW State Government funded study provides a comprehensive life cycle inventory for windrow composting systems in Australia, and models the environmental impacts of these systems in NSW using life cycle assessment modelling.
The full report, and a series of user-friendly fact sheets to support local government, state government, and various markets for recycled organics products will be available from the Department of Environment and Conservation in February.

A Fact Sheet on the outcomes of this study is also available.

The National Electronic Newsletter for the Recycled Organics Sector contains information relating to organic resource recovery, management, research and development issues from government agencies, industry organisations and individual participants:

• November 2007 (Recycled Organics National eNews#4)
• June 2007 (Recycled Organics National eNews#3)
• October 2006 (Recycled Organics National eNews#2)
• May 2006 (Recycled Organics National eNews#1)