1. Selected Success Stories of Maine Compost School
Carrabassett Valley Food Residuals Compost Initiative:
Location: Carrabassett Valley, ME
Contact: Kimberley Truskowski, Environmental Steward for Sugarloaf Mountain
System: In-vessel Compost, “Earth Tubs”
Success: Compost nearly 100% of all food scraps (pre and post-consumer) generated at Maine’s most famous ski resort.
This project was initially funded by a grant from the Maine State Planning Office.
University of New England, Marine Mammal Compost Project:
Location: Biddeford, ME
Contact: Keith Matassa, Director of the UNE Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center (MARC).
System: Maryland Bin (turned pile)
Success: The MARC facility changed from disposal to composting in The current operation processes hundreds of marine mammal carcasses annually; resulting in a net disposal savings of $6,500.
Tibbetts Family Farm:
Location: Lyman, Maine
Contact: John Tibbetts, Owner
System: Turned windrow
Success: After attending the Maine Compost School, John began to actively pursue composting as a side business. This business continues to grow and in 2008, composting generated an additional $16,000 in revenue for the family owned and operated business.
Sandy River Recycling:
Location: Farmington, ME
Contact: Ron Slater, Director
System: Turned windrow
Success: Working with numerous partners and a $25,000 grant from the Maine State Planning Office, Ron developed a successful compost operation that, to date, has composted more than 100 tons of food waste which would have been disposed of in a landfill.
Since its inception in 1997, the Maine Compost School has graduated over 750 students, representing most of the fifty United States plus an additional 45 countries from around the world.
Prepared by Mark King, Maine DEP—May 2, 2012