Composting Guide for Haulers and Waste Companies
This path is for haulers, private landfill and transfer station owners, and merchant compost processors. It follows the questions an organics line has to answer: why add processing and what the rules require, how the economics and contracts work, and how to build the business case and grow capacity.
Not your role? See the Composting Guide for Municipalities and Public Works or all guides.
Learn the basics
Why add organics processing, what the rules require of haulers, and what a processor can accept.
Food Waste Contamination and Depackaging for Compost Processors
Where plastic and glass in food waste come from, the contaminant limits compost must meet, how depackagers work and what a covered pile can and cannot fix.
Why Haulers and Landfill Owners Are Adding Organics Processing
Why haulers and private landfill owners are building compost capacity: diversion laws, franchise terms, control of processing, product sales and airspace.
SB 1383 Requirements for Haulers
What SB 1383 asks of California haulers: jurisdiction approval, container colors, contamination monitoring, where organics may go, records and franchise terms.
Composting at Landfills, Adding Organics Processing to an Existing Site
Why landfill owners add composting and how to do it, from siting on or beside closed cells to settlement, landfill gas, leachate, stormwater and permits.
Organics Diversion and Food Waste Laws by State
State organics diversion and food waste laws as of October 2026, with who is covered, thresholds, dates and what each law means for composting capacity.
Aerated Static Pile Composting, The Complete Guide
How aerated static pile composting works, from pile build, aeration floors and blowers to covers, pathogen rules and how ASP compares with windrows.
Compare your options
Where to site it, how the revenue model works, how to bid, sell compost and protect the permit.
Bidding on Municipal Organics Processing and Franchise Contracts
What city RFPs ask organics processors for, how to prove permitted capacity, how to describe pricing in words, and the pitfalls that sink processing bids.
Protecting a Compost Permit from Complaints, Inspections and Enforcement
How complaints, inspections and air district nuisance rules turn into violations at compost sites, and the records and fixes that protect a permit.
Compost Facility Revenue Model and the Break-Even Tonnage Method
How to model compost facility revenue from tip fees, product sales and contracts, find break-even tonnage with a simple formula, and test what moves it most.
Expanding Compost Capacity in Phases
How private composters add capacity in steps: pilot, first phase, expansion triggers, modular aeration zones, mobile to fixed systems and permit changes.
Selling Finished Compost, Markets, Channels and Quality
How compost processors sell finished product to farms, landscapers, erosion control, nurseries, public buyers and retail, with testing, specs and storage.
Where to Put Organics Processing in a Hauling Network
How haulers choose a landfill, transfer station or standalone site for organics processing, weighing haul distance, permits, buffers, utilities and traffic.
Converting a Windrow Site to Covered ASP
What changes when a turned windrow compost site converts to covered aerated static piles: footprint, pads, equipment, labor, water, permits and phasing.
Compost Facility Lifecycle Cost and What Drives It Over 15 Years
The capital, operating and replacement cost drivers of a compost facility over 15 years, compared by technology, with a method for a fair comparison.
Covers vs Biofilters vs Enclosed Buildings for Compost Emission Control
Compare membrane covers, negative aeration with a biofilter, and enclosed buildings for compost emission control: mechanism, footprint, energy and upkeep.
Compost Facility Permitting Guide for Solid Waste, Air and Water
How compost facility permits work: solid waste, air and water approvals, with California as the worked example, plus Washington and Oregon rules.
Plan your purchase
The business case, contracts with cities and choosing a system.
Building the Business Case for an Organics Processing Line
How a hauler or processor builds an investment memo for an organics line: feedstock, contracts, technology, permits, capital model, risks and decision gates.
Organics Processing Agreements with Cities and the Terms to Get Right
The terms that make or break a city organics processing agreement: tonnage bands, put-or-pay, contamination, rate adjustment, offtake and change in law.
Composting System Buyer's Guide for Private Composters and Haulers
How private composters and haulers choose a composting system, from feedstock contracts and contamination to throughput per acre, permits and phased growth.
Lease vs Buy Composting Equipment
When leasing composting equipment fits and when buying does, what public agencies must check, and the questions to ask before you sign any lease agreement.
SG BUNKER® vs SG HEAP® vs SG MOBILE® – Which System Fits Your Site
Compare the three Sustainable Generation covered ASP layouts by tonnage, site, permanence and timeline, and see where none of them is the right choice.
How to Fund a Compost Facility with Grants, Loans and Leasing
How to stack grants, revolving fund loans, bonds, fee-backed finance and leasing to fund a compost facility, with program status as of October 2026.
Organics line break-even calculator
A first look at the economics of a compost line using your own numbers. Enter costs and fees in your currency; the example values are placeholders, not typical values.
Model your organics line with the SG team
Send your feedstock contracts, tonnage and site constraints and the SG team will size a system around them.