Featuring Dr. Sally Brown of University of Washington and James Slaughter, Esq. of Beveridge & Diamond
Presented in collaboration with NW Biosolids
The WSRA-WORC Conference will have nearly 20 unique breakouts representing nearly 40 different sessions. Some of the key subject areas being covered include:
Waste Reduction is a Team Effort
Glass Panel
Farm Waste
OMLs
Textiles
Food Waste
Offal
Electric Fleets
Bin contamination
Grant Opportunities
Fighting waste contamination
Presenters: Reingard Rieger of Tilth Alliance and Liz Erickson of the City of Vancouver
Featuring Dr. Eva Stricker of University of New Mexico
Featuring Dr. Eva Stricker of University of New Mexico
WORC 2024 Annual Conference
November 7, 2024
WSU Puyallup
Event Information
Space is limited to a max of 42 students. Don't miss out!
Cost: WORC Member - $1350 | Early Bird - $1,500 (Starting July 1) | Non-Member - $1,650 | Early Bird - $1,800 (Starting July 1)
*Dietary concerns or restrictions please let the office know.
WORC is thrilled to announce our Compost Facility Operator Training (CFOT) will be taking place in-person! Students, speakers, and instructors will connect at WSU’s Puyallup campus for 5 days of in-depth training about composting the Pacific Northwest.
Agenda, Campus Map, & Parking Information: More Information Coming Soon.
Who Should Attend: Compost facility operators & managers, on-farm compost processors & end users, waste management consultants & professionals, agricultural extension service staff, environmental/health agency staff, composting/recycling association professionals, equipment vendors, and public officials.
Presentation Description: Peter will discuss the environmental implications of our food system, including several food waste management systems, through a Life Cycle Assessment lens.
Cost: Individual - $20 WORC Members; $35 Non-Members | Bundle (Includes all webinars and registration for up to 3 members of a single organization) - $60 WORC Members; $160 Non-Members
Peter Canepa, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Peter Canepa joined the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Materials Management Program in January 2017, providing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) expertise. Peter’s primary role is to conduct and support projects that advance Oregon toward achieving its 2050 vision for materials management, through the application of LCA. Prior to this role, Peter spent 8 years with Thinkstep, a consultancy specializing in LCA. Peter holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management and a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies.
The Department of Ecology is implementing the 2022 Organics Management Law. Alli Kingfisher will give a brief overview of the law and then do a deeper dive into the business organics management requirements.
Cost: Individual - $20 WORC Members; $35 Non-Members | Bundle (Includes all webinars and registration for up to 3 members of a single organization) - $60 WORC Members; $160 Non-Members
Alli Kingfisher, Washington Department of Ecology
Alli Kingfisher is the Unit Supervisor for Washington State Department of Ecology’s Organics Management Team and the coordinator of the Washington Center for Sustainable Food Management. Alli holds an MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability from the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. She has 20 years of experience at Ecology working on a wide range of sustainable materials management policies, projects and initiatives. Alli has a passion for working across sectors to find common ground and practicable solutions.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), also known as Product Stewardship, is a strategy to place a shared responsibility for end-of-life product management on producers, and other entities involved in the product chain, instead of the general public; while encouraging product design changes that minimize negative impacts on human health and the environment at every stage of the product’s lifecycle. McKenna Morrigan will summarize the 2023 Washington Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act which was proposed to establish a producer responsibility program that required consumer product producers to fund statewide residential recycling services for packaging and paper products. Justin Gast will discuss progress in implementing Oregon’s 2021 Recycling Modernization Act which authorized an EPR system to update recycling in Oregon; funded by producers and manufacturers of packaged items, paper products, and food service ware.
McKenna Morrigan, Seattle Public Utilities
McKenna Morrigan is the waste prevention and product stewardship policy advisor for Seattle Public Utilities. In this role, she advocates for state and local policies to advance SPU’s vision of zero waste and support the development of an inclusive circular economy, including the adoption of EPR policies in Washington. Previously, McKenna was a senior associate at Cascadia Consulting Group, where she led research and evaluation projects for local and state governments related to recycling programs, policies, and markets.
Justin Gast, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Justin Gast is a natural resources specialist with Oregon DEQ’s Materials Management program, currently working on the implementation of the Recycling Modernization Act (i.e., SB 582), including overseeing the MRF Fees & Permit and Certification Programs project. In addition to his time at DEQ, Justin has spent his 18 years in the industry working at the local and national levels for the likes of Resource Recycling, the Washington County (OR) Solid Waste & Recycling Program and The Recycling Partnership. Justin lives in North Portland with his wife of almost 21 years, Terra, their 22-month old daughter, Birdie, and their seven-year-old goldendoodle, Alice.
Over 35 million poultry were composted in the US in 2022. Dr. Carpenter-Boggs will discuss the use of composting to manage livestock mortalities and disease outbreaks including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
Speaker: Lynne Carpenter Boggs, WSU
Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs is a Professor of Soil Science and Director of the Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture at Washington State University. Her background in soil microbiology, alternative agricultural systems, and livestock mortality composting supported the development of natural organic reduction as a human funeral option.
Description: How does a composting facility go for over 10 years without having an accident or an incident? Are there way to incentivize your team to stay safe? What does accountability look like from a safety perspective? I’ll dive into what we do to keep safety as our number one value and how we pass this passion through leadership changes. How integrity is factored into our safety programs and how the culture drives the results.
Samantha Winkle, Waste Connections
Bio: Samantha Winkle has over 15 years of experience in the solid waste industry in various roles including office management, environmental compliance, recycling operations, transfer station operations and operating each composting facility within the past 15 years. Samantha started with the construction and eventual redesign of Silver Springs Organics, transferred after 12 years to Purdy Compost Facility then Hidden Valley Compost Factory. Samantha recently became the Assistant District Manager of LRI and Silver Springs Organics and oversees all of our post collections facilities. She is the immediate past president for Washington Organic Recycling Council and currently sits on the board for the United States Composting Council. Samantha leads the Rainier Division Women’s Network and the Rainier Divisions Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work group. She is a graduate from Cornell’s Diversity and Inclusion certification programs and holds a dual Bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College.
Presentation Description: Waste disposal options have become increasingly limited, costly, and inconvenient for meat processors in Washington State. Hear from WSDA, Ecology, and two composters about how meat processing feedstock can be clean and manageable, and create a high-quality, nutrient-rich compost product.
Speakers: Alyssa Jumars, WSDA Local Meat Marketing & Capacity Specialist; Martyn Quinn, Ecology Solid Waste Facilities Specialist; Ron Redman, WSU Facilities Assistant Manager; Scott Deatherage, Barr-Tech Regional Compost Facility
Alyssa Jumars, WSDA Local Meat Marketing & Capacity Specialist, is working to strengthen regional meat supply chains in Washington, including finding disposal alternatives and resources for local meat processors who generate animal byproduct (offal) waste.
Martyn Quinn, Department of Ecology veteran of 15 years, He provides regulatory and technical assistance to 13 counties in Eastern Washington in his role as Solid Waste Facilities Specialist. He has overseen facilities composting yard waste, biosolids, food waste, and animal remains.
Scott Deatherage, Bart-Tech Regional Compost Facility general manager, grew up farming and composting feedlot manure in Colorado in 1983. Barr-Tech is a fully permitted compost facility receiving all types of organic wastes including yard debris, biosolids, food waste and meat processing waste from regional generators, primarily the City and County of Spokane.
Ron Redman, WSU Facilities Assistant Manager, oversees operations for the WSU Pullman campus compost facility, general waste collection and disposal, campus recycling, bio waste disposal and Surplus Stores.
Tim O'Neill, Engineered Compost Systems
Presentation Description:
VOC emissions, and their associated odors, are a critical component in permitting and operating compost facilities in Washington State. Default VOC emission factors adopted by regulators across the US, however, come from a non-systematic collection of widely varying source tests conducted between 2000-2010. In this presentation, Tim O’Neill will describe current research being conducted by Washington State University (WSU) and Engineered Compost Systems (ECS) to develop guidelines for regulators and process designers to predict VOC emission factors from compost facilities, and to better understand the process parameters that affect those emissions.
Bio: Tim founded ECS in 1999 which has provided process technology and consulting to composting facilities around the world. He leads ECS’s applied research activities on compost process dynamics, degradation of bioplastics during composting, and compost air emissions. Tim is a Trustee for the US Compost Research and Education Foundation and regularly teaches classes on facility design, process optimization and the management of odor and VOC emissions.
Cost: WORC Member - $1100; Non-Member - $1350
*If you have any dietary concerns or restrictions, please let the office know.
Space is limited to a max of 50 students. Don't miss out!
WORC is thrilled to announce our Compost Facility Operator Training (CFOT) will be taking place in-person!
Students, speakers, and instructors will connect at WSU’s Puyallup campus for 5 days of in-depth training about composting the Pacific Northwest.
In addition to learning about the basics of compost manufacturing, trainees will hear from experts in the field on topics ranging from soil biology to state regulations. They will also participate in hands-on activities, build their own experimental compost piles, and tour multiple facilities in the region.
Whether trainees are looking to get involved with compost professionally, expand their knowledge of the compost industry, or become a certified facility operator to meet your site’s regulatory requirements, CFOT is the course for them. Don't miss out!
Agenda, Campus Map, & Parking Information: More Information Coming Soon.
Hotels: For any of you coming a long distance who may need to make hotel reservations, hotel options are listed on the training center’s website and also on sites such as Trip Advisor.
Who Should Attend: Compost facility operators & managers, on-farm compost processors & end users, waste management consultants & professionals, agricultural extension service staff, environmental/health agency staff, composting/recycling association professionals, equipment vendors, and public officials.
COVID 19: Please note that we will be following state COVID-19 safety precautions in place for WSU. For any updates, visit WSU COVID-19 FAQs.
Price: $15 Members | $35 Non-Members
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances, abbreviated PFAS, are a large group of chemicals, many of which we encounter in our everyday lives. The problem is that these so-called “forever chemicals” never degrade. Discovery that they are now found in recycled organics products like compost and biosolids has led to concern and regulatory changes in some places. Ned Beecher from NEBRA will provide background information about these chemicals, their fate in organics, and some regulatory responses across the U.S. Mary Harrington of Washington Department of Ecology will then discuss Ecology’s response to this issue.
If you have any questions, please contact Brooke at worc@aminc.org.
Planning on attending all seven webinars? Save on purchasing webinar bundle. Register for the bundle of webinars. Bundle Registration includes 6 webinars and registration for up to 3 staff from a single organization.
Ned Beecher, Consultant and Special Projects Manager, NERBA
Ned Beecher is a consultant on biosolids and residuals management. He was director of NEBRA from its founding in December 1997 through May 2019 and has been contracted as Special Projects Manager for NEBRA over the past 3 years, completing the National Biosolids Data Project and the updated biosolids greenhouse gas emissions calculator, BEAM*2022.
Mary Harrington, Organic Materials Management Lead, Washington Department of Ecology
Mary Harrington is the Organic Materials Management Lead for the Washington Department of Ecology (HQ) where she is currently working to improve statewide diversion of all organics to beneficial end uses.
Price: $15 Members | $35 Non-Members
Alison Halpern of WA State Conservation Commission will discuss Organics and climate-smart opportunities through the Sustainable Farms and Fields grant program. This includes subsidy options for growers using compost.
If you have any questions, please contact Melissa at worc@aminc.org.
Planning on attending all seven webinars? Save on purchasing webinar bundle. Register for the bundle of webinars. Bundle Registration includes 6 webinars and registration for up to 3 staff from a single organization.
Alison Halpern, Scientific Policy Advisor, Washington State Conservation Commission
Alison joined the Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) in 2018, where she manages the Sustainable Farms and Fields Program. She came to the SCC after working for the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board for thirteen years, first as its Education Specialist and then its Executive Secretary. She earned her Ph.D. in Ecology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY.
Price: $15 Members | $35 Non-Members
We will host 2 virtual facility tours. A1 Organics, a compost facility in Colorado, and Kompogas SLO, a high solids AD facility in California.
If you have any questions, please contact Melissa at worc@aminc.org.
Currently, most organic and food waste ends up in landfills. Not only is this a waste of resources, but as those materials degrade over time, they produce large amounts of methane gas (CH4).
Methane gas is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) and the second most abundant anthropogenic (human influenced) GHG after carbon dioxide (CO2). Methane accounts for about 20 percent of global emissions and is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.
The presentation will be about how we can utilize well established and proven technology such as anaerobic digestion to divert organic waste from landfills and use it as a resource to produce renewable energy, while still creating valuable soil amendment in the form of compost.
As an example, we look at the anaerobic digestion facility in San Luis Obispo which has been operating for over 3 years, helping the County reach the state mandated 75% diversion goal. The KOMPOGAS-SLO facility is processing and diverting approximately 36,000 tons per year of the county’s organic food and yard waste streams as well as spent Fats, Oil & Grease (FOG) from restaurants.
It produces enough renewable electricity to power about 600 homes. In addition, the plant produces valuable soil amendment that is marketed to agriculture on the Central Coast.
Thomas Gratz, Sales Manager, Hitachi Zosen Inova USA
Thomas Gratz is Sales Manager for Hitachi Zosen Inova USA, responsible for all sales activities of HZI KOMPOGAS and SCHMACK anaerobic digestion systems as well as BIOMETHAN biogas upgrading technologies. Mr. Gratz brings over 30 years of experience in sales and sales management, providing solutions to end users in both the public as well as the private sectors. He has been involved with organic waste diversion and sustainability for over 12 years. His experience includes all aspects of sales and sales management for capital equipment and specialty technology products. He successfully managed the startup of several European Sales Organizations in the US and has a proven track record of implementing advanced new technologies in the US.
Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering, Federal Technical College of Moedling, Austria
Clinton Sander, Marketing Manager, A1 Organics
Clinton joined A1 Organics in July 2018. He worked in the retail natural foods industry creating marketing initiatives, brand campaigns, and innovative merchandising techniques. He is very passionate about regenerative practices, sustainability, family, and giving back to your community. Clinton has seen first-hand the importance and value of diverting organics out of landfills within a commercial retail food environment and the contamination challenges this environment creates. As the marketing manager for A1 Organics, Clinton actively works on marketing initiatives and communication strategies focused on the amazing environmental benefits of compost application and organics recycling.
Planning on attending all seven webinars? Save on purchasing webinar bundle. Register for the bundle of webinars. Bundle Registration includes 6 webinars and registration for up to 3 staff from a single organization.
Event Cost: Free
About the Event:
The usefulness and value of finished compost depends on a feedstock that is free of contaminants, such as plastic and non-degradable service ware and bags. Unfortunately, it is all too common to find these materials in food waste destined for composting. This webinar, jointly hosted by NERC and NEWMOA, will address successful educational strategies and programs to avoid these contaminants.
About the Presenters:
Erin Skelly, Environmental & Compliance Technician, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Organics Recycling Facility, Minnesota - Strategies to Reduce Contamination at a Composting Facility
Kate Kurtz, Organics and Landscape Resource Conservation Program Lead, & Becca Fong, Residential Recycling and Compost Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities - Addressing compost contamination in Seattle: a combination of policy and outreach
Natasha Duarte, Director, Composting Association of Vermont - Navigating compost contamination concerns in Vermont
Price: $15 Members | $35 Non-Members
Deirdre Griffin LaHue of Washington State University will discuss organics and soil health, including updates from the long-term biosolids study in Douglas County, and the newly established Long-term Agroecological Research and Extension (LTARE) site in Mount Vernon through the WA Soil Health Initiative.
If you have any questions, please contact Melissa at worc@aminc.org
Deirdre Griffin LaHue, Assistant Professor of Soil Science, WSU
Deirdre Griffin LaHue is an Assistant Professor of Soil Science at WSU. Her research focuses on the impacts of agricultural practices such as cover cropping and organic amendment applications on soil health and the soil organisms that facilitate many of the functions we look for in a healthy soil, including strong aggregate structure, efficient cycling of nutrients and carbon, and disease suppression.
Planning on attending all seven webinars? Save on purchasing webinar bundle. Register for the bundle of webinars. Bundle Registration includes 6 webinars and registration for up to 3 staff from a single organization.
Price: $15 Members | $35 Non-Members
Some say that soils can save the world, or at least provide a partial solution to climate change. Others say that our enhanced understanding of organic matter in soils negates that promise. Join us & Sally Brown for a discussion of soil carbon sequestration and how compost impacts this process.
If you have any questions, please contact Melissa at worc@aminc.org
Sally Brown, Research Professor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington
Sally Brown is a research professor at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington. She has a BA from Williams College and a MS and PhD from the University of Maryland in Soil Science. Her research focuses on different aspects of the use of biosolids and other residuals including risks associated with contaminants, in situ restoration of contaminated sites, carbon balance for different end use options, and integration of residuals use in green urban infrastructure. She is a Fellow and former Board member in the Soil Science Society of America, a former Board member in the US Compost Council, was a two-term member of the National Academy of Science Standing Committee on Soil Science, is a member and former chair of the USDA CREES committee on use of residuals, was a reviewer for the upcoming IPCC assessment, and is a columnist for Biocycle Magazine. She was a member of the NAS committee on the bioavailability of contaminants in soils and sediments. She has won the US EPA Clean Water Act research award twice; once for her work showing that biosolids in combination with other residuals can be used to alleviate metal toxicity in situ, and for her work showing that biosolids are an effective fertilizer for canola for biofuel production. She has also won the US Compost Council Rufus Chaney Research Award, the Washington Organics Recycling Council Research Award and the King County Green Globe award for her research.
Planning on attending all seven webinars? Save on purchasing webinar bundle. Register for the bundle of webinars. Bundle Registration includes 6 webinars and registration for up to 3 staff from a single organization.
Heather Trim of Zero Waste Washington will provide a legislative session recap, including the recently passed HB 1799
Price: $15 Members | $35 Non-Members
If you have any questions, please contact Melissa at worc@aminc.org
Heather Trim, Executive Director, Zero Waste Washington
Heather has more than 25 years of experience in environmental work ranging from zero waste to toxic chemicals and habitat issues. At Zero Waste Washington, her focus has been on reducing upstream sources of waste and addressing downstream impacts, getting toxic chemicals out of products, eliminating plastic pollution, and building on the organization’s signature producer responsibility policy initiatives. Previously, at Futurewise, she worked to prevent runoff from entering our waterways and improve shoreline management practices and policies. Heather was at People for Puget Sound for over ten years where she focused on protections for the marine environment. Earlier, she was staff scientist for the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council and worked for the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board on water quality standards, regulatory permits, pollution assessments, greening the LA rivers and habitat renewal.
Planning on attending all seven webinars? Save on purchasing webinar bundle. Register for the bundle of webinars. Bundle Registration includes 6 webinars and registration for up to 3 staff from a single organization.
Event Cost: Free
About the Event:
Just as with traditional recyclables, closing the loop is essential for successful organics management. The loop is closed with the productive use of finished compost. This webinar, jointly hosted by NERC and NEWMOA, will discuss end market applications and examples from organizations that compost food and other organics.
Who should attend?
State & Local Recycling/Composting Officials
Civil Engineers
Architects
Landscape Architects
Highway Superintendents
Commercial Compost Producers
And more!
About the Presenters:
Debra Darby, Manager, Organics Sustainability Solutions, Tetra Tech, Moderator
Charles Duprey, Founder and President, Naturcycle LLC
Maria Bianchetti, Recycling Specialist, Onondaga County Resource Recovery Authority (OCRRA)
Emma Yates, Business Development, and Ryan Cerrato, Vice President, Product Marketing, WeCare Denali
The Washington State Soil Health Initiative, with support from Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, would like to invite you to SoilCon 2022. This virtual conference will bring research, extension, and production together to discuss soil health parameters at a local, regional, and global scale. The conference will be held February 22nd & 23rd, with sessions from 8:00am-12:00pm PST each day.
Soil health is trending topic in agricultural production and environmental resilience to climate change, but what does the latest research tell us and how can we put it into practice for regional systems? SoilCon aims to address these questions by explaining what metrics are used when assessing soil health, how these may change by production system and region, and management practices to support a resilient soil system. The topics will be relevant to agriculture or natural resource professionals, producers, consultants, University faculty and students, and interested members of the public.
For more information on SoilCon 2022, regarding: schedule, speakers, and sessions and to stay up to date with WSU Soil Health SoilCon, you can do so through their website, soilhealth.wsu.edu, or through Twitter and Instagram.
Event Cost: * USCC Members - Free (login with username/PW) | Non-Members - $5
Not a USCC Member? Become an USCC Member Today!
* Members attend for free! Sign up today to attend this and future USCC webinars
About the Event:
USCC members have been upping their advocacy game! Along with the work our Chapters and other members are doing, we now have 20 members who have signed up for our new Advocate membership since it opened this summer. With many statehouses going into session in January, this is an opportunity to hear the best ways to advocate for composting from members, an environmental lobbyist and the Maryland delegate who sponsored the state’s recently passed organics diversion law. Come away with new insight into state policy!
Featured Speaker:
The Hon. Del. Lorig Charkoudian, District 20 in the Maryland General Assembly
Lorig Charkoudian represents District 20 in the Maryland General Assembly, where she serves on the Economic Matters Committee. In Lorig's first session (2019), she was a strong advocate for legislation promoting economic justice, criminal justice reform, consumer rights, environmental protection, and a sustainable local food system.
Additional Speakers:
Emily Ranson, Clean Water Action *
Emily grew up in Maryland, where she cultivated fond memories of playing in the streams and rivers in central Maryland. She received her master of science from Cornell University studying conflict resolution and community-based natural resource management.
* The USCC erroneously listed Emily Ranson's organization as Cornell University. Emily works as the Maryland State Director for Clean Water Action.
Dan Matsch, Eco-Cycle
Dan leads Eco-Cycle’s composting collection and advocacy efforts. He is a former organic farmer and longtime small-scale composter who works at local, state, and national levels for food waste diversion from landfills, distributed community-scale composting infrastructure, and use of compost to sequester carbon. Dan is the co-chair of Colorado's state chapter of USCC.
Marshall Hall, Natural Organic Process Enterprises
Marshall oversees daily operations and event services as the owner of Natural Organic Process Enterprises (N.O.P.E.) based in Richmond, Virginia. Additionally, he provides education to both new and potential clients as well as develops new relationships with sustainability-minded businesses.
Marshall is also a strong proponent for the education about and practical use of compost and its many environmentally beneficial applications. He is passionate about promoting mindful compost inclusive policy, community outreach programs, and non-profits that support local and urban agriculture as well as food rescue. He also serves on the board of The Virginia Composting Council where he works on the recently created Advisory committee.
Moderated By:
Linda Norris-Waldt, US Composting Council
Linda Norris-Waldt is Advocacy, Corporate Relations & Chapter Relations Director for the US Composting Council, and has been in the recycling industry for 30 years, having spent 10 years as the recycling manager for Frederick County, MD. Linda began her career as a local newspaper reporter before becoming a business communicator, 17 of those for manufacturing companies.
Dates: November 16-18, 2021
Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (each day)
Price: FREE
Location: Online via Zoom
The training will cover best practices of composting within the context of the Produce Safety Rule, with perspectives from industry, cooperative extension, and regulatory agencies. It will include an overview on the Produce Safety Rule and draft guidance to understand the current regulatory framework and requirements associated with the use of Biological Soil Amendments of Animal Origin (BSAAO) for covered produce on covered farms. The intent is to help regulated growers and related stakeholders understand how to comply with the current requirements, provide an update on the status of BSAAO Risk Assessment and associated research, and discuss what it means for the possible future of Subpart F provisions for the use of untreated BSAAO on covered farms.
This training is presented by the US Food and Drug Administration in cooperation with Idaho State Department of Agriculture, Oregon State Department of Agriculture and Washington State Department of Agriculture.
Cost: Member - $970.00 / Non-Member - $1,030.00
Class Times: 7:30am-4:30pm DAILY (Actual class times will vary)
Locations for Hands-On Instruction: Cedar Grove (Everett, WA), Dirt Hugger (Dallesport, WA), Natural Selections Farm (Sunnyside, WA), Olympic Organics (Kingston, WA), Silver Springs (Rainier, WA)
This hybrid course combines both virtual classroom and hands-on instruction to meet Washington Administrative Code 173-350-220 requirements for Compost Facilities. While other on-line compost facility trainings are available be aware that not all of them include hands-on training. WORC’s instruction is designed to be engaging, comprehensive and meet WA state requirements. View Draft Agenda
Please feel free to reach out to Vice President, Kaitlyn Welzen if you may have any questions.
* Please note that we will have COVID-19 safety precautions in place during the in-person component of this class. We will send out more information to registrants once we are closer to the class’s start date since governmental recommendations change quickly. Students will be asked to sign a liability waiver and to follow the required safety precautions. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact us before enrolling in the CFOT class
Please join us for our last webinar in this series!
Susan Thoman will share her expertise and cover various ways to market compost and how to make YOUR product stand out from the rest!
Price: Member - $15 / Non-Member - $35
Susan Thoman, Managing Director, Compost Manufacturing Alliance
Susan Thoman, Managing Director, Compost Manufacturing Alliance
Susan Thoman founded the Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA) in 2017, a composter owned and operated third party certifier of compostable packaging. Prior to that, Susan served for fourteen years at Cedar Grove Composting as director of sales and marketing, public relations, and as vice president of corporate development. Prior to her composting career, Susan worked for seventeen years as an environmental educator and manager for a variety of hazardous waste processing and industrial services firms in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
Troy Lautenbach will cover the basics of siting and permitting new facilities from what regulations apply, how to pick the best site, and how to navigate government relations. A key focus will be building trust and regulatory relationships (federal, regional, sate, local) with your elected officials.
Price: Member - $15 / Non-Member - $35
Troy Lautenbach
Troy Lautenbach, Partner, Skagit Soils Inc.
Troy Lautenbach started the Lautenbach recycling business at age 24 after graduating from Central Washington University in 1991 with a degree in Business Finance. Lautenbach recycling performs demolition contracting and is a major supplier of substrate across the northwest for dairy methane digesters. They also own a C&D Materials Recovery Facility in Mount Vernon, WA along with running the San Juan Island Transfer Station. In January of 2020, Troy became a partner in Skagit Soils, Inc's composting facility. Skagit Soils has been producing compost since the late 1980's and produces 20,000 tons of compost a year. Troy is currently the Immediate Past President of the National Construction Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA), former Washington State Recycling Association Board member, Chair of the Washington State Solid Waste Advisory committee and sits on 2 local solid waste advisory committees. He is also volunteer on the Chuckanut Health Foundation Board in Whatcom County. He's a lifelong resident of Whatcom County with two adult children McKenna 24, Tevon 21. He is married to Erika (Nuerenberg) Lautenbach and enjoys trying to, golf, bicycle riding, yoga and travel.
PLEASE NOTE: Attendee may receive USCC Certification Commission credit when they attend.
Want to attend more webinars? Attend this one along with six others by viewing our “2021 Webinar Series Bundle“. Click here for details.
