Compost Testing and Certification
Composting depends on microbes.
Composting requires specific thermophilic microbes, as well as other soil organisms, to successfully make usable and nutrient rich compost.
Whether consuming biodegradable plastics and packaging, or converting food and agricultural by-products into usable soil amendments (compost, fertilizer, or mulch), microbes have an important role both within natural settings and in controlled waste disposal systems.
Knowing how well the microbes consume a given feed stock helps to determine the value of a material or finished product.
This is commonly done by using standard biodegradation tests as ASTM D6400 or as part of quality assurance testing, such as as Certified Compostable testing and USCC STA testing.
Choosing the right approach depends on the intended use of the product. For compostable plastics and other solids that will make their way to a commercial compost facility, they must show a level of disintegration in order to be acclimated into the compost at the facility.
For actual compost used for soil, there are other measures that need to be taken and samples are tested against different pathogenic organisms to assure that their product is of high quality and safe to use for agriculture and other food production.
Certified Compostable Testing
Commercial Compost Certification
However, turning a compost into a commercial grade, value-enhanced product is not as easy as it sounds. The United States Composting Council's USCC STA certification standard is one step producers can take in assuring the quality and assessing the potential value of their compost.
Contact the lab at 847-483-9950 or at info@situtest.com for more information.