The following materials have been specified as unacceptable:
Stumps, mill waste and large branches have a high carbon:nitrogen ratio and therefor will take a long time to compost. Also, their bulk makes it costly to grind these materials.
The effect of cedar on composting is not well understood. Cedar has a natural resistance to decompostition, and the leachate generated from ground cedar more have increased toxicity. For these reasons, we limit the amount of cedar to 25% of any single load.
Turf, glass, concrete, brick, rock, and dirt creates excessive wear during tub grinding.
Metal is destructive to the tub grinder, as one would expect.
Brambles (blackberry for example) are not easily processed by tub grinders.
Plastic, paper, and bags often contain other foreign materials that can contaminate the end product. Of course plastic will not break down during the compost process.
© Ecowaste Industries Ltd.
last modified 2005-11-22