Rule 3745-560-02 | Composting facilities - definitions.
If a term used in this chapter is defined in rule 3745-500-02 of the Administrative Code, the definition in rule 3745-500-02 of the Administrative Code is applicable to this chapter unless the term is defined in this rule. As used in this chapter:
(A)
(1) "Accept" or "acceptance," in the context of material acceptance, handling, and disposal activities, means to record material in the log of operations or to place material on the materials placement area at a composting facility.
(2) "Acidic anaerobic fermentation" means a conditioning method in which compostable materials are inoculated with an effective microorganism inoculum and placed in sealed containers for a length of time sufficient for fermentation to occur under anaerobic conditions and promote acidification of the compostable material.
(3) "Active composting facility" means a composting facility where authorized feedstocks, bulking agents, additives, and compost products are received, processed, or stored.
(4) "Additive" means a supplemental material mixed with or otherwise added to feedstocks and bulking agents to create a favorable condition for the composting process and includes urea, crushed eggshells, source-separated spent coffee and tea grounds, and bacterial or fungal inoculum.
(5) "Aerated static pile" means a method of composting where solid waste is constructed into a pile and air is forced through the pile to enable aerobic composting.
(6) "Agricultural plant materials" means plant material including but not limited to stems, leaves, vines, or roots from an agricultural operation.
(7) "Alteration" means a change, other than a modification, to a class I composting facility or to a permit to install issued pursuant to Chapter 3734. of the Revised Code for a class I composting facility that is at least equivalent to the rule requirements. An alteration includes but is not limited to changes in the type of waste received, replacement of equipment, and repair of the class I composting facility.
(8) "Alternative material" means a waste that might be suitable for use as a feedstock, bulking agent, or additive in the composting process that is not authorized in rule for acceptance at a composting facility.
(9) "Animal waste" means animal excreta, bedding, wash waters, incidental waste feed, and silage drainage.
(B)
(1) "Biofilter material" means material consisting of bulking agents, shredded yard waste, or compost that is applied over the composting mixture to control odors, dust, or vectors.
(2) "Bulking agent" means a material added to a composting process to provide structural support, improve aeration, or absorb moisture and includes wood chips, straw, clean untreated wood, shredded newspaper, shredded cardboard, sawdust, shredded brush, shredded yard waste, compostable containers, and stover.
(C)
(1) "Certified operator" means an individual that holds a valid composting facility operator certification in accordance with section 3734.02 of the Revised Code and rule 3745-560-26 of the Administrative Code.
(2) "Class I solid waste composting facility" means a facility where the owner or operator may accept yard waste, agricultural plant materials, dead animals, raw rendering material, animal waste, food scraps, mixed solid waste, bulking agents, additives, and authorized alternative materials.
(3) "Class II solid waste composting facility" means a facility where the owner or operator may accept yard waste, agricultural plant materials, dead animals, raw rendering material, animal waste, food scraps, bulking agents, additives, and authorized alternative materials.
(4) "Class III solid waste composting facility" means a facility where the owner or operator may accept yard waste, agricultural plant materials, dead animals, raw rendering material, animal waste, bulking agents, additives, and authorized alternative materials. The materials placement area is limited to a maximum of one hundred thirty-five thousand square feet.
(5) "Class IV solid waste composting facility" means a facility where the owner or operator may accept only yard waste, agricultural plant materials, bulking agents, additives limited to source-separated spent coffee and tea grounds, urea, and bacterial or fungal inoculum, and authorized alternative materials.
(6) "Clean untreated wood" means source-separated wood including but not limited to sawdust, pallets, and dimensional lumber that has not been treated chemically or with adhesives and coatings including but not limited to paint, glue, or any other visible contaminant.
(7) "Commingled yard waste" means yard waste that has been collected with other solid waste. Commingled yard waste does not include yard waste in bags co-collected with other solid wastes.
(8) "Compost" means a humus-like organic material resulting from the biological decomposition of solid waste.
(9) "Compostable container" means a container that has been independently tested and meets ASTM D6400 or D6868, including those displaying the biodegradable products institute's "Compostable Logo," which will decompose at a rate equal to or faster than the material with which the container is composted under equivalent conditions.
(10) "Compost product" means compost that meets applicable compost product quality standards.
(11) "Composting" means the process of biological decomposition of solid waste under controlled conditions resulting in compost. Controlled conditions include but are not limited to grinding, shredding, chipping, mixing feedstocks, bulking agents and additives, piling, physical turning, aerating, adding moisture, performing procedures to achieve human pathogen reduction, or other processing of solid wastes.
(12) "Cross-contamination" means the intentional or unintentional contact of feedstocks subject to a more stringent quality standard with a feedstock subject to a less stringent quality standard and includes but is not limited to contact with the surface of a machine, the mixture of tested compost with untested compost, or contact with leachate that was previously in contact with a feedstock subject to a more stringent quality standard.
(D)
(1) "Dead animals" means bodies or parts of a dead animal.
(2) "Design capacity" means the maximum capacity of materials that can be appropriately managed in the materials placement area, based upon the design, construction, equipment, composting method, and planned operational practices as specified in the authorizing documents.
(E) "Effective microorganisms," means an inoculum used for acidic anaerobic fermentation consisting predominately of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes, and photosynthetic bacteria.
(F) "Facility" means a composting facility.
(G) [Reserved.]
(H) [Reserved.]
(I)
(1) "Inactive composting facility" means a composting facility where no solid waste or compost product are received, processed, or stored.
(2) "Inert matter" means inorganic and organic constituents that were not readily decomposed during the composting process including but not limited to plastics, glass, textiles, rubber, leather, metal, ceramics, polystyrene, sharp objects, and painted, laminated, or treated wood.
(3) "Interim operator" means a person designated by the owner or operator of a composting facility to replace the certified operator in the event that the certified operator is not on site or reasonably available daily during operations.
(4) "In-vessel" means a method of composting where solid waste is placed in an enclosed or partly enclosed unit and managed to enable composting.
(J) [Reserved.]
(K) [Reserved.]
(L) [Reserved.]
(M)
(1) "Materials placement area" means any area of the composting facility where compost products, solid wastes, feedstocks, bulking agents, or additives are received, placed, processed, or stored.
(2) "Mixed solid waste" means a feedstock consisting of solid wastes that will readily decompose and waste materials that will not readily decompose and may contain household solid waste that is excluded from regulation as hazardous wastes in accordance with Chapter 3745-51 of the Administrative Code.
(3) "Modification" means any substantial change to the location or size of the materials placement area, or to the design, construction, process, or operation of a class I composting facility.
(N) [Reserved.]
(O)
(1) "One hundred year flood" means a flood that has one per cent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
(2) "Operational capacity" means the amount of materials designated by the owner or operator to be managed in the materials placement area as specified in the composting facility's authorizing documents. The operational capacity may be less than or equal to the design capacity, but does not exceed the design capacity.
(P) [Reserved.]
(Q) [Reserved.]
(R)
(1) "Raw rendering material" has the same meaning as section 953.21 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Runoff" means stormwater as defined in rule 3745-39-01 of the Administrative Code that has not come in contact with any compost products, solid waste, feedstocks, bulking agents, or additives.
(3) "Run-on" means precipitation that has fallen upslope of the materials placement area of a composting facility and flows onto the composting facility.
(S)
(1) "Salvaging" means the extracting or removing of materials from the solid waste stream at the working face of a solid waste disposal facility for the intended purpose of recycling or for removal to a salvage facility regulated by Chapter 4737. of the Revised Code and rules adopted thereunder.
(2) "Sewage sludge" has the same meaning as in Chapter 6111. of the Revised Code and rules adopted thereunder.
(3) "Static pile" means a method of composting where solid waste is constructed into a pile and are managed and turned to enable aerobic composting.
(T) [Reserved.]
(U) [Reserved.]
(V)
(1) "Vermicompost" means compost produced through the vermicomposting process that may contain worm castings.
(2) "Vermicomposting" means the mesophilic process of bio-oxidation and stabilization of organic solid wastes by epigeic earthworm species which turn, fragment, aerate, increase microbial activity in the solid waste substrate, and results in vermicompost.
(3) "Vermiculture" means the breeding of any species of earthworms in organic waste media, which produces incidental amounts of vermicompost.
(4) "Veteran" has the same meaning as in section 5903.01 of the Revised Code.
(W)
(1) "Washout" means the movement of feedstocks, bulking agents and additives from the materials placement area of the facility as a result of flooding.
(2) "Windrow" means an elongated pile.
(3) "Windrow composting" means a method of composting where solid waste is constructed into an elongated pile and are managed and turned to enable aerobic composting.
(4) "Wood recycling facility" means a facility that grinds, shreds, or chips woody materials consisting of stumps, trees, limbs, branches, affixed leaves, bark, and other clean untreated wood to produce a wood product that does not meet the definition of compost product.
Last updated December 1, 2025 at 9:34 AM
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