What the Compost School offers:
For people interested and/or involved with medium and large-scale composting operations. This course is a certificate program and trains personnel to be qualified compost site operators.
Participants receive classroom instruction, laboratory experience and hands-on project exercises in this setting.
The classroom and laboratory hands-on activities include:
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To reinforce and illustrate the principles taught in the classes, different commercial, community and farm composting sites have been selected to be visited by the students. At each site the operators freely share their information and answer the questions the students may have.
All along the tour, students are able to interact with the faculty of the school. The field trips include:
- a medium scale invessel system compost facility(Pat Jackson/Tri-City Septic)
- a family owned Dairy Farm operation composting its animal bedding, waste feed, and collected horse bedding (Rainbow Valley Farms)
- a medium-scale turned windrow compost facility (Farmington Compost Cooperative)
- an innovative compost and retail bagging operation (Living Acres)
- a large scale “Dutch Tunnel” in-vessel compost facility (Casella Organics – Hawk Ridge Compost Facility)
- a farm composting and bagging operation utilizing seafood, manure, and other organics (Kinney Compost)
- a medium-scale commercial turned windrow compost facility mixing food scraps with leaves and horse bedding (MB Bark/We Compost It)
- a medium-scale static aerated pile compost facility (Little River Compost)
Certification
An optional examination is administered to any participant that requests it. Successful completion of the exam results in the awarding of a “Certificate of Technical Ability.” The exam covers the classroom portion and the field trip visits and is given at the end of the session on Friday. Please indicate your interest in this optional exam by checking the appropriate box on the registration form.
Enrollment Information
The registration fee for the Maine Compost School is $800.00 (US dollars) for each participant. This fee includes all instructional material, refreshments at breaks, lunches Monday through Friday, along with assorted compost publications and field trip transportation. Participants arrange for their own lodging and transportation to school.
Please register as early as possible as registrations are accepted up until the 20 participants limit is reached. To register for either the June or October Session, please contact Sandy Moody of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (contact info included below). Letters of acceptance will be sent out as confirmation of registration.
Refunds
The registration fee is fully refundable up to two weeks prior to the first day of the selected Maine Compost School. Registrants who do not attend and fail to cancel are subject to the complete fee. No participant substitutions may be made at any time, without permission from the school directors.
The Maine Compost School reserves the right to change instructors and to cancel or reschedule a program in the event of insufficient enrollment or unforeseen circumstances.
Special Clothing & PPE: The Maine Compost School does not require any personal protection equipment or special clothing. It does suggest that you wear work boots and bring rain gear.
Special Dietary Needs: The Maine Compost School makes every effort to meet the dietary needs of individuals. Please let Us know if you you have any special dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, etc.) at time of registration.
Contact and Registration Information:
| Curriculum content and/or optional certification process, please contact:
Mark King, Environmental Specialist Registration for Program, please contact: Sandy Moody, Environmental Specialist |
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