Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 330 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES › Title 330 CMR 25.00 - Agricultural Composting Program › Section 25.02 - Definitions

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Agricultural Composting
. The
				Composting of Agricultural Materials and other Compostable Materials on an
				Agricultural Unit resulting in stabilized Compost suitable for agricultural and
				horticultural uses.
Agricultural Composting Guidelines
.
				The guidelines established by the Department for use by persons engaged in
				Agricultural Composting and for those holding a Registration.
Agricultural Composting Operation
. The
				Agricultural Composting activity proposed in an application for a Registration
				and which encompasses all elements of the Composting, including all associated
				infrastructure and any areas for drop off, mixing, windrows, curing, finished
				compost storage, and equipment.
Agricultural Materials
. Organic
				materials produced from the raising and processing of plants and animals as
				part of agronomic, horticultural, aquacultural, or silvicultural operations,
				including, but not limited to, animal manures, animal products and by-products
				(including carcasses), bedding materials, and plant materials.
Agricultural Unit
. A parcel of land
				for which the Department determines that:
(a) the use is predominantly agriculture as defined in M.G.L.
				c. 128, § 1A; and
(b) an agricultural product is sold as a normal course of
				business.
Applicant
. The person named in the
				application as the owner of the Agricultural Unit where the Agricultural
				Composting Operation is proposed to be located, or as the Operator of the
				proposed Agricultural Composting Operation where the Owner has entered into an
				agreement with an Operator at the time the application is filed.
Biodegradable
. Capable of being broken
				down especially into innocuous products by the actions of
				microorganisms.
Bulking Agent
. A Compostable Material
				added to Agricultural Materials to increase porosity and facilitate aeration
				during Composting.
Commercial Production Area
. That
				portion of an Agricultural Unit which is presently and actively used to produce
				field crops or nursery stock, forested land with a forest management plan,
				cranberry bogs, or used for the grazing of livestock to be sold as part of a
				for-profit enterprise.
Compost
. The product resulting from
				the Composting process and a subsequent stabilization process.
Compostable Material(s)
. Organic
				Material(s), including Agricultural Material(s), which has the potential to be
				Composted.
Composting
or
Composted
. The process of accelerated biodegradation
				of Organic Materials using microorganisms under controlled conditions in the
				presence of oxygen using turned windrows or piles, aerated static piles, or
				in-vessel systems. For the purposes of
				330 CMR 25.00, Composting is
				not aerobic digestion or conversion as defined in
				310 CMR 16.02:
Definitions
.
Department
. The Department of
				Agricultural Resources.
Feedstock
. Compostable Material from
				which Physical Contaminants have been removed and is subsequently used for
				Composting.
Group 2 Materials
. Those materials
				defined in
				310
				CMR 16.04:
Table 1: Examples of
				Organic Materials
, or other Organic Materials with a carbon to
				nitrogen ratio of 30:1 or less.
Table 1: Examples of Organic
							 Materials
Group 1 Organic Materials
Group 2 Organic Materials
Example Materials
Carbon: Nitrogen Ratio
Example Materials
Carbon: Nitrogen Ratio
Clean Wood
100-1300:1
Vegetables
11-19:1
Cardboard
560:1
Food Material
14-16:1
Paper and paper products
125-850:1
Grass Clippings
17:1
Leaves
40-80:1
Green Plant Material
15-19:1
Straw
60-80:1
Fish Waste
2-5:1
Corn Stalks
60-75:1
Manure
6-14:1
Shrub Trimmings
50:1
Odor Management Plan
. A plan that is
				appropriate for the size and type of the Agricultural Composting Operation that
				will minimize the production and migration of odorous compounds. The plan
				should, at a minimum, address the following:
(a) evaluation procedures, including odor strength, duration,
				and frequency;
(b) diagnosis of odor source; and
(c) outline remedial actions that may be utilized to address
				production and migration of any odors, including specific actions such as
				operational changes that will be taken to address complaints if odors occur
				beyond the property line of the Agricultural Unit.
On-site
. Within the property
				boundaries of an Agricultural Unit where the Agricultural Composting Operation
				proposed in an application for Registration is located.
Operator
. Any person who has care,
				custody, or control of a facility, operation, or activity subject to
				330 CMR 25.00, including,
				without limitation, an agent or lessee of the Owner or an independent
				contractor.
Organic Material
. Any of the following
				Source-separated materials: vegetative material; food material; agricultural
				material; Biodegradable products; biodegradable paper; clean wood; or yard
				waste. Organic Material does not include Sanitary Wastewater Treatment Facility
				Residuals.
Owner
. Any person who alone or in
				conjunction with others has legal ownership, a leasehold interest, or effective
				control over the real property upon which an Agricultural Composting Operation
				is located, or the airspace above said real property. Owner does not mean
				persons holding bare legal title for the purpose of providing security for
				financing.
Person(s)
. Any individual,
				partnership, association, firm, company, corporation, department, agency,
				group, public body (including a city, town, district, county, authority, state,
				federal, or other governmental unit), trust or any other entity responsible in
				any way for any activity, facility, or operation subject to
				330 CMR 25.00.
Physical Contaminants
. Any
				non-Biodegradable Product including, but not limited to, plastic, metal, glass,
				stones, or masonry debris.
Registration
. The agricultural
				composting registration issued by the Department.
Sanitary Wastewater Treatment
				Residuals
. The byproducts such as biosolids, which result from the
				sanitary wastewater treatment process. Residual means all waste remaining after
				treatment or processing. Residual remaining after treatment or processing is
				not pre-sorted material. Air and water discharges managed in accordance with
				applicable regulations are not residuals.
Source-separated
. Separated from solid
				waste at the point of generation and kept separate from solid waste, as defined
				in
				310 CMR 16.02:
Definitions
.