Composting Facility Permitting Requirements

Permit-by-Rule - Yard Waste Composting Facilities less than five acres

Municipal Waste Permit-by-Rule Regulations(opens in a new tab) Chapter 271.103

Guidelines for Yard Waste Composting Facilities(opens in a new tab) (PDF) 254-5403-100 (eLibrary)

Best Management Practices for the Management of Waste from Land Clearing, Grubbing, and Excavation(opens in a new tab) (PDF) 254-5400-001 (eLibrary)

Municipal Waste General Permit Forms

General Permit WMGM015(opens in a new tab) (PDF) - Processing and beneficial use of wood and timber waste (i.e., tree stumps, limbs, clean wood, untreated and unpainted wood and pallets) and the leaf and yard waste as mulch and compost.

General Permit WMGM017(opens in a new tab) (PDF) - On-Farm composting of manure, yard waste, source separated food scraps from food markets, grocery stores, food banks, food distribution centers, school cafeterias and institutions, source-separated newspaper, and source-separated corrugated paper (cardboard).

General Permit WMGM030(opens in a new tab) (PDF) - Yard Waste Composting Facilities between five acres and 15 acres

General Permit WMGM042(opens in a new tab) (PDF) - Anaerobic digestion of animal manure on a farm mixed with (i) grease trap waste (collected from restaurants or grocery stores) and (ii) pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste from commercial or institutional establishments.

General Permit WMGM045(opens in a new tab) (PDF) - Processing and beneficial use activities performed by facilities that, at any one time, do not exceed (i) 5 acres and (ii) 6,000 cubic yards per acre of wastes as follows: 1. Processing by mixing or blending, screening and composting of (a) source separated food processing waste, (b) source separated pre-and-post consumer food wastes, (c) yard waste, (d) unpainted and untreated wood waste, (e) source segregated paper and cardboard, (f) land clearing and grubbing waste, and (g) agricultural waste on an active or abandoned mine site approved by the Department as part of a mine reclamation permit or project. 2. Beneficial use of the cured compost as (a) a soil additive, (b) a mulch for landscaping purposes, (c) a fertilizer in normal farming operations or mine reclamation activities, or (d) in the production of a manufactured topsoil.

General Permits Issued for Soil Amendments(opens in a new tab) (PDF)

Residual Waste General Permit Forms

General Permit - WMGR025(opens in a new tab) (PDF) Composting and beneficial use of the following source-separated wastes: agricultural waste other than mortalities, butcher waste other than whole carcass, food processing waste, pre-consumer and post-consumer food residuals, yard waste, land clearing and grubbing material, untreated wood waste, gypsum wallboard, paper, cardboard, waxed cardboard, virgin paper mill sludge and spent mushroom substrate.

Municipal Waste Permitting and Municipal Waste Permit Forms

Residual Waste Permitting and Residual Waste Permit Forms

Report Forms

Municipal Waste - Composting Facility - Annual Operation Report 2520-FM-BWM0204(opens in a new tab)

Residual Waste - Composting Facility - Annual Operation Report 2520-FM-BWM0410(opens in a new tab)

Inspection Forms

Inspection Report Municipal Waste Composting Facility(opens in a new tab) (PDF) 2540-FM-BWM0139

Inspection Report Residual Waste Composting Facility(opens in a new tab) (PDF) 2540-FM-BWM0401