New Regulatory Requirements for NASM

On September 18, 2009, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs jointly announced new rules and guidelines for applying non-agricultural source materials (NASM) to farmland. Changes to the management of non-agricultural source materials are designed to strengthen the rules and remove overlapping approval processes for farmers and generators of NASM.

The new rules establish consistent standards and requirements across the province which focuses on the quality of the material being land-applied, ensuring it meets strict criteria and is beneficial to the soil. The revised regulations will cover all Ontario farms where non-agricultural source material will be applied.

NASM includes yard waste, fruit and vegetable peels, food processing waste, pulp and paper biosolids and sewage biosolids. Proper spreading of these materials on farmland returns essential nutrients to the soil to help foster new plant growth.

Regulatory and Approval Requirements

New requirements focus on the quality of the material being land applied, building on standards that already exist. They include greater consideration of alternatives and cover all the agricultural land where non-agricultural source material will be applied in Ontario.

The requirements are detailed in the regulation. A plain language guide to the regulatory requirements will be ready in late fall. Please check back to this web page in December.

The requirements will take effect in two stages. Stage 1 changes will take effect immediately upon filing of the regulation and consists of general requirements that establish the framework. The general requirements are needed to transition to the requirements of the new system for managing NASM which take effect at stage 2 on January 1, 2011. Transition periods are also outlined within the regulation to assist in moving from the current framework of approvals to the new requirements.

The establishment of consistent environmental standards across the province and clearly defines who is impacted and the requirements they must follow.

More information on the regulatory and approval requirements can be found in the links below.

Compliance and Enforcement

The Ministry of Environment's longstanding role in ensuring environmental protection through compliance and enforcement activities continues with the new regulation. For more information on compliance and enforcement, please visit the MOE website at www.ontario.ca/nasm-moe.