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Memorandum to Solid Waste Advisory Council Page 11 March 17, 1983 benefits of co-compost (yard and wood wastes with sludge) to the soil amendments normally used. Those end use tests were designed to coppare the co-compost to commonly purchased soil amendments: peat moss or topsoil. First, at the Minneapolis Lake Harriet Gardens, co-compost was substituted and compared to peat moss on several floral plots. Second, the City of St . Paul Public Works Department used co-compost as a 100% topsoil replacement in preparing damaged boulevards for grass seeding. In both cases, respective city staff people were very happy with the observed results of the tests. Staff believes that it is not appropriate to compost municipal solid waste and sludge using static aerated piles. Staff feels it would be more appropriate in the long run to use some kind of reactor system or complex mechanical system to compost refuse and sludge. Staff is aware of only one project in the United States where shredded refuse is used as a bulking agent for sludge in static pile composting. Staff is concerned about satisfactory mixing between any refuse and sludge leading to proper temperature elevation and subsequent pathogen destruction. We are also very concerned with the final appearance of any co-compost produced using shredded refuse and sludge. We feel that the material must be uniform in particle size, thoroughly decomposed (i.e. earthen-like in appearance) , and that visible undegraded pieces of trash are removed. • Staff Education Two important conferences are schedule in the near future. Biocycle is sponsoring the 1983 Composting and Waste Recycling Conference in Columbus, Ohio from May 4 - 6, 1983. Some of the conference topics include: compost design and systems, marketing sludge compost, health and legal issues, and composting projects. Estimated cost $735. The National Recycling Coalition is sponsoring its Second National Recycling Congress in Boulder, Colorado from June 1 - 3, 1983. Some of the topics include: new collection and processing equipment, market development, successful programs, and financing. Estimated cost $660. Demonstration Drop Box Leaf Collection At the Advisory Councils request, staff has modified the Leaf Composting Implementation Proposal to include a special demonstration leaf collection. A majority of the Council members felt that another leaf collection method using drop boxes should be tried this fall. Advisory Council members felt that several containers should be placed at parks or playgrounds in one neighborhood, making it convenient for the residents to deposit their leaves nearby. The contractor would transport the leaves to a designated site.