| Action | Amendment 9 |
| Stage | Proposed |
| Comment Period | Ended on 5/16/2022 |
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I am requesting the addition of the following comment to Amendment 9. The majority of this language was directly pulled from the State of Maryland’s on-farm composting exemptions. The purpose of this comment will be to increase community resilience in Virginia and help achieve the recently established 2022 Executive Order 17, #3 Stopping Food Waste. As prices for nutrient amendments sky-rocket, locally & organically-sourced nutrients are essential for our farming communities and local soil health. Promoting decentralized on-farm food scrap composting will help bridge the gap between reducing waste and keeping valuable nutrient-rich material in our ecosystem. I recommend adding the following comment to allow farmers to start small-size food scrap composting with minimal cost as a trial step prior to considering an increase to permitting.
new addition:
“9VAC20-81-95D. The following activities are conditionally exempt from this chapter provided no open dump, hazard, or public nuisance is created:”
#. On-farm composting in an area no more than 5,000 square feet using covered windrowing, in-vessel systems, and/or aerated static pile (ASP) technology, when used to process offsite waste organic Category I, Category II, or Category III feedstocks in containers designed to prohibit vector attraction and prevent nuisance odor generation. “On-farm” sites would be defined as farming operations as the primary land use on the property. Feedstock piles may not be higher than 9 feet and all other piles are limited to a height of 12 feet. When determining the area used in support of composting, include areas used for feedstock receiving and preparation (such as mixing, shredding, water addition), active composting, curing, and storage (including compost, equipment, and waste). The areas do not need to be contiguous and spaces not used for any of the activities listed above may be omitted, including empty fields and roads. For an area greater than 5,000 square feet, approval from the department will be required prior to composting.