Product Quality: Compost & Mulch

Unless they have money to squander, most people want to be assured that they are purchasing safe, high-quality, and high-performing products. "Traditional" recyclable materials such as paper, glass, steel, and aluminum all have industry-adopted standards that define different grades or qualities of these materials and associated products. In contrast, no similar set of standards exists for compost and mulch feedstocks or products. Registered compost producers must be in compliance with applicable CIWMB composting regulations and agree to provide laboratory-verified information about their products to interested buyers. The CIWMB also has prepared a general guide to assist consumers in assessing compost characteristics, and is developing a series of fact sheets that provide guidelines for applying compost and mulch in different landscaping applications.

Product Quality-Related Links

Assessing Compost Quality--Information on how to perform your own compost product quality assessment.
Compost Demonstration Project, Placer County: Use of Compost and Co-Compost as a Primary Erosion Control Material.

Purchasing Compost & Mulch

Last updated: August 29, 2008

Organic Materials Management http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Organics/
Pat Paswater: PPaswater@ciwmb.ca.gov (916) 341-6593