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State Gets Dirty to Promote Benefits of Compost: Grape pomace composted for use on Napa vineyards
SACRAMENTO--In celebration of International Compost Awareness Week--May 6
through May 12--state and local governmental officials, as well as interested
legislative representatives and area vintners, met at the Upper Valley Recycling
and Disposal facility in Saint Helena today to tout the merits of organic
compost, the "green dirt." New technologies and techniques are making the use of
compost beneficial to area vintners' bottom line.
| Every year in California, organic materials make up the largest single
portion of what winds up in landfills--more than 30 percent, or nearly 13 million
tons. "Compost adds valuable nutrients to the soil improving crop production while
also reducing the amount of organic materials sent to landfills. Upper Valley
Recycling and Disposal uses and safely produces organic soil amendments," said
Board Chair Margo Reid Brown. "State regulations ensure growers can safely use
this valuable product in place of chemical fertilizers while it allows
jurisdictions to successfully divert their green wastes." |
 Chair Margo Reid Brown speaks on the benefits of composting at the National Compost Awareness Week Event held at the Upper Valley Recycling and Disposal facility in St. Helena. |
| Compost is the soil amendment product that results from proper decomposition
and it helps to keep the high volume of organic material out of landfills and
turns it into a useful product. |
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 Bob Pestoni of Upper Valley Recycling and Disposal received a framed resolution from the California Integrated Waste Management Board in recognition of composting achievements and waste diversion.
 Upper Valley Recycling and Disposal uses raw grape waste (seeds, skins and stems called pomace).
This raw material is processed into dark rich compost. |
Owned and operated by Bob and Marvin Pestoni, Upper Valley Recycling and
Disposal receives and composts 20,000 tons per year of grape waste from 52
vineyards selling the finished product back to many of them. The rest is
marketed to local residents and gardeners and landscapers. A few thousand tons
are used on their own vineyard, Rutherford Grove Winery, resulting in a variety
of organically grown wines to tempt the palate. Along with recycling glass, paper, metals, plastics and green waste, Upper
Valley Recycling and Disposal uses raw grape waste (seeds, skins and stems
called pomace) that had historically been piled by wineries near creek edges,
roadsides and vineyard avenues. This unprocessed raw material not only had the
potential to contaminate ground water and environmentally sensitive watersheds
but was also associated with offensive odors. Upper Valley Recycling collects
and recycles the pomace into certified organic compost with minimal odor
emissions, thanks to a unique underground aeration system, based on erosion
control technology developed in partnership with an $80,000 grant from the CIWMB
in 1999. Over 12,000 tons of this clean green material has been processed and
recycled back into the community since the program's inception. |
Composting naturally recycles nutrients back into the soil through the
production of beneficial micro-organisms for healthy plant growth. It helps
sandy soil retain nutrients and water and has been shown to suppress pathogens
of avocado root rot, Sudden Oak Death, damping-off and turfgrass diseases.
Compost curbs the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides and can produce
higher yields of agricultural crops by enriching the soil. Compost has the
ability to absorb and retain nutrients in storm water, prevent pollutant runoff
from reaching surface water resources and fight erosion on roadsides, hillsides,
playing fields, golf courses and embankments. As an added benefit, compost may
also significantly reduce the amount of harmful greenhouse gases that are known
to be a contributor to global warming.
The California Integrated Waste Management Board is the state's leading
authority on recycling and waste reduction. It promotes reducing waste whenever
possible, managing all materials to their highest and best use and protecting
public health and safety and the environment.
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