North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 15A - Environmental Quality › Chapter 13 - SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT › Subchapter B - SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT › Section .1400 - SOLID WASTE COMPOST FACILITIES › Section 13B .1407 - CLASSIFICATION, TESTING, AND DISTRIBUTION OF SOLID WASTE COMPOST PRODUCTS

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) Compost or mulch that is produced at a
				  Type 1 facility, is free from offensive odor, contains no sharp particles, and,
				  for compost, has met the temperature requirements in Rule .1406(11) of this
				  Section shall be classified Grade A and have unrestricted application and
				  distribution. Compost analytical testing shall not be required for Type 1
				  compost if temperature requirements in Rule .1406(11) of this Section have been
				  met and documented.
(b) Compost
				  produced from Type 2, 3, and 4 facilities shall be sampled and analyzed as
				  follows:
(1) a composite sample of the compost
				  produced at each compost facility shall be analyzed at intervals of every
				  20,000 tons of compost produced or every six months, whichever comes first, for
				  metals and pathogens;
(2) compost
				  samples shall be analyzed for the metals listed in
				  40 CFR
				  503.13(b)(3), except that
				  analysis for mercury shall not be required for Type 2 and 3 facilities, and
				  analysis for arsenic and selenium shall not be required for Type 2 facilities.
				  The concentration of metals in compost offered for sale or distribution to the
				  public shall not exceed the pollutant concentration limits listed in
				  40 CFR
				  503.13(b)(3).
				  40 CFR
				  503.13 and
				  40 CFR 503.32 are incorporated by
				  reference including subsequent amendments and editions. Copies of the Code of
				  Federal Regulations may be obtained from the U.S. Government Publishing Office
				  website at
www.gpo.gov
at no cost;
(3) compost samples shall be analyzed for
				  pathogens, either for fecal coliform or salmonella bacteria. The concentration
				  of pathogens in compost offered for sale or distribution to the public shall
				  not exceed the concentration limits listed in
				  40 CFR
				  503.32(a)(3);
(4) sample collection, preservation, and
				  analysis shall assure valid and representative results. At least three
				  individual samples of equal volume shall be taken from each batch produced in
				  separate areas along the side of the batch. Each sampling point shall be
				  sampled from a depth of two to six feet into the pile from the outside surface
				  of the pile as follows:
(A) metals samples
				  shall be composited and accumulated over a six-month period or at intervals of
				  every 20,000 tons of product produced, whichever comes first; and
(B) pathogens samples shall be a
				  representative composite sample of the compost and shall be processed within a
				  period of time required by the testing procedure;
(5) analytical testing methods shall be in
				  accordance with the procedures of one of the following:
(A) EPA publication SW-846, "Test Methods for
				  Evaluating Solid Waste: Physical/Chemical Methods." This document is
				  incorporated by reference, including subsequent amendments and editions, and
				  may be obtained free of charge at
https://www.epa.gov/hw-sw846
;
(B) the U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S.
				  Compost Council publication "Test Methods for the Examination of Composting and
				  Compost" (TMECC). This document is incorporated by reference including
				  subsequent amendments and editions, and may be obtained for a fee of three
				  hundred fifty dollars ($350.00) at
https://compostingcouncil.org/tmecc/
or a copy may be reviewed free of charge at the Division of Waste Management,
				  Solid Waste Section office at 217 West Jones Street, Raleigh, N.C. 27603;
				  or
(C) other methods that are
				  approved by the Division as providing equivalent standards of analysis;
				  and
(6) the Division may
				  decrease or increase the parameters to be analyzed or the frequency of analysis
				  based upon monitoring data, changes in the waste stream or processing, or
				  information regarding the potential for the presence of contaminants that are
				  not required to be analyzed in this Paragraph.