![[logo] US EPA](../gif/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Compost as Cure-All
Filtrexx International: Erosion Control
EPA530-F-03-025
July 2003
Compost as soil amendment. Compost as pollution filter. Compost as disease control. And now most recently, compost as erosion control. Is there anything compost can’t do?
Managers and employees at Filtrexx International, LLC are pleased that the use of compost’s newest application has spread. The company’s full-time business is using compost to prevent erosion along highways, at construction sites, and other transportation and building locations.
There are many advantages of using compost-based tools over conventional erosion control methods. In the first place, compost is simply more effective at controlling erosion than many other technologies. “Compost, when properly installed in long filter berms, has been shown to work better than silt fences in keeping both suspended and settleable solids out of water sources moving on the surface,” says Rod Tyler, manager of Filtrexx.
Not only does compost do the job better than other materials, but it also has a variety of positive environmental qualities: it is natural, renewable, locally made, biobased, and easily vegetated. The compost that Filtrexx uses comes from a number of different feedstocks, including yard trimmings, biosolids, and food scraps, reports Tyler, and complies with the standards set forth by the US Composting Council.
Compost also has benefits involving time and money. Generally, the installation time for compost-based tools is less than traditional tools. Filter socks, for instance, can be filled off site, saving time in the field. Although the upfront cost might be greater than traditional tools, the overall price of compost-based tools can be less. Both compost filter berms and filter socks can be easily vegetated and incorporated into the landscape when the job is completed, so removal and disposal is unnecessary.
Unfortunately, most people are generally unaware of compost-based tools and often look at price over performance but Tyler hopes that Filtrexx’s erosion control tool box will become as accepted as many other common best management practices currently in use. He envisions a very steep growth curve for erosion control with compost over the next 5 to 10 years.
For more information, see Filtrexx International’s website. 
View and print this fact sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 101K, about PDF)
Disclaimer: Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
