CompostChuck 0 Report post Posted March 29, 2012 Bills already passed in the State House and now in the Senate put Yard Waste back into landfills to make Methane gas. HB 4265 and HB 4266 allow landfills with gas generators to accept Yard Waste. This is a reversal of the Michigan 1995 ban on putting Yard Waste into dumps. These laws will put a lot of small companies out of business. Yard Waste is the best Compost availble because of the diversity of the plant materials they contain. If these bills go into effect there will be very little good compost available to the public. Please call your State Senator and let them know how you feel about this. The bills as written require the curb separtation of the yard waste for 3 years but still allow the Yard Waste to go to landfills. Why pay for yard waste bags to go to the dump? Every Master Garden class I attended said "do a soil test and add Compost" . Michigan needs to save this valuable resource and increase our recycling. We don't need to fill up our landfills. These laws are a step back into the Dark Ages. What do you think? www.mckayscompostfarm.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Janet Macunovich 32 Report post Posted April 1, 2012 Oh man, Chuck. We didn't know!We have been gardening professionally since before the yard waste laws changed to require composting and separation of green waste and are here to tell you and everyone -- and we'll email our Senator -- that we need compost. What an awful chore and expense it was to improve soil before we had composting facilities turning our yard waste into black gold. And we have seen the industry progress from guess-and-by-gosh with variable results to operator-scienctists with compost farms now turning out an incredible product. We do not want to lose that. And we do not want to see the landfill waste stream go up once again by +20% with leaves and branches that should go back into the earth! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cricket 7 Report post Posted April 3, 2012 Bills already passed in the State House and now in the Senate put Yard Waste back into landfills to make Methane gas. HB 4265 and HB 4266 allow landfills with gas generators to accept Yard Waste. This is a reversal of the Michigan 1995 ban on putting Yard Waste into dumps. These laws will put a lot of small companies out of business. Yard Waste is the best Compost availble because of the diversity of the plant materials they contain. If these bills go into effect there will be very little good compost available to the public. Please call your State Senator and let them know how you feel about this. The bills as written require the curb separtation of the yard waste for 3 years but still allow the Yard Waste to go to landfills. Why pay for yard waste bags to go to the dump? Every Master Garden class I attended said "do a soil test and add Compost" . Michigan needs to save this valuable resource and increase our recycling. We don't need to fill up our landfills. These laws are a step back into the Dark Ages. What do you think? www.mckayscompostfarm.com Having read both house bills, am confused if the bills refer to just grass or is all yard waste like woody stems and veggie leaves included?.. What yard waste items are used by the compost farm mentioned above?... Would be devestated to lose the compost company source of mainly veggie and leaf matter that I purchase from. Our ornamental gardens have never looked better nor the veggie raised beds produced better than they have since using compost... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CompostChuck 0 Report post Posted April 4, 2012 We use all of the organic material in our composting operation. The larger pieces of wood allow for natural aireation of the pile. We try to place the larger pieces in direct contact with the ground. Maintaining the oxygen levels helps sustain the aerobic conditions that produce the best compost. This is espcially important in the Spring in summer when we receive a lot of wet grass. The first loads of the season have a lot of last years leaves and brush so when this is mixed with the grass and green materials the mix is just right for composting. The legislation is written with very confusing language. Chuck McKay www.mckayscompostfarm.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CompostChuck 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2012 Please call and email your state senators to defeat the compost bills. It would be great if you could attend the scheduled committe meeting. Committe: Energy and TechnologyDate: Tuesday May 16, 2012Time: 1 PMPlace: Senate Hearing Room, Boji Tower 124 W. Allegan Street Lansing, MI 48933 Agenda: HB 4265 and HB 4266 If the committe vote these bills out of committee they will likely pass the full senate vote and become law. This will mean the end of the Yard Waste Compost business and jobs in Michigan. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Curt P 5 Report post Posted June 9, 2012 I've been out of touch for a little while, any new information about this? Thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
