Well drill cuttings disposal

A method for converting well drill cuttings that carry petroleum hydrocarbons to an environmentally friendly humus-like product without substantially increasing the weight or volume of said humus-like product beyond that of said drill cuttings, said drill cuttings having a total petroleum hydrocarbon content unacceptably high by environmental standards for spreading on the earth's surface, the method comprising:

• placing said drill cuttings in a contained working enclosure, if said cuttings have an unacceptably high salt content for sustaining plant grown, washing said cuttings in said enclosure with a liquid to reduce the salinity of said cuttings to approach an acceptable level for sustaining plant growth on the earth's surface, thereafter adding to said cuttings in said enclosure a feedstock to form a biopile, said feedstock being added in an amount and having a carbon and nitrogen content sufficient to encourage a biopile composting reaction, forming a plant growth enhancing humus-like product by continuing said biopile composting reaction until said biopile is (1) reduced to a total biopile weight and/or volume that approaches that of the original drill cuttings before said feedstock was added thereto and (2) said total petroleum hydrocarbon content of said biopile is reduced to an environmentally friendly level for spreading on the earth's surface, and spreading said biopile humus-like product on the earth's surface.