ISSUE CONTENTS: MAY 2003

MOVING FORWARD IN PORTLAND

WHY RECOVERY RATE FOR RECYCLABLES HIT 48.8 PERCENT Steve Apotheker The “unexplainable” becomes reasonable in this analysis of materials recovery in Oregon’s major urban center. p20

COMMINGLED CURBSIDE IS POPULAR Household surveys indicate that about 90 percent of eligible regional households participate at least once a month. p22

SEPARATION AND COLLECTION OF COMMERCIAL FOOD RESIDUALS Steven Sherman and Salvador Velasco Generator perspectives on the barriers and benefits to implementing a citywide program for commercial food residuals were obtained in a survey of Portland’s business community. p23

TRANSPORT OPTIONS FOR ORGANIC RESIDUALS AND FINISHED PRODUCTS Truck body suppliers have introduced a range of options to meet the unique transport needs of composters and organics recyclers. p26

VERSATILITY KEY TO WOOD WASTE, C&D DEBRIS RECOVERY Rhonda Sherman Initiatives include a C&D recycling ordinance, investment in equipment to process wood, and adding more value to finished mulch products. p30

COLORED CHIP PRODUCTION Mecklenburg County, North Carolina colors wood chips made from ground pallets. p32

COLORING LOGISTICS Red is by far the most popular mulch color, beating out gold, brown and black. p34

COMPOSTING AND ORGANICS RECYCLING VS. BIOREACTORS: ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE Nora Goldstein Probing the arguments on both sides provides valuable insights and clarification — and perhaps a new framework for future discussions and analyses. p35

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC. RESPONSE Ed Skernolis and Gary Hater Company’s directors of Government Affairs and Bioreactor/Biosite Technology respond to critical commentary about landfill bioreactor technology and related regulation development. p38

AUTHORS RESPONSE TO WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC. Bill Sheehan and Jim McNelly Commentary authors respond to company’s rebuttal, pointing out bioreactor design flaws and misleading cost estimates. p39

FORUMS

CHECKLIST FOR ODOR MANAGEMENT AT COMPOST FACILITIES Jeff Gage Strategies to minimize generation and emissions of odors cover the full range of composting fundamentals and the needs of decomposer organisms. The checklist [of management practices] will help operators ward off fatal odor problems. p42

EVALUATING PERFORMANCE OF COMPOST BLANKETS Thomas D. Glanville, Tom L. Richards and Russell A. Persyn Two year study in Iowa compared compost blankets to conventional soil treatments for performance relating to storm water runoff control and erosion protection, as well as to assess the impact on water quality. p48

BIOCYCLE ENERGY

BIOSOLIDS AND BIODIESEL TEAM UP FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMICS Washington State researchers explore how BIOSOLIDS could lower costs of producing biodiesel from canola crops, increasing income for region’s farmers and boosting renewable energy output. p55

FARM TRIALS IN BIOSOLIDS/BIODIESEL PROJECTp57

THREE SMALL-SCALE DIGESTERS SCHEDULED FOR NEW YORK CITY Mitch Klasky Earth Pledge project is designed to set up biogas recovery systems at two high schools and a community housing center for recycling food residuals. Each unit will generate up to 60kWh of electricity. p58

WHEN A CITY’S SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON MORE DAIRIES ... AND MORE MANURE The process of “enlisting farmers and cows” to design an effective anaerobic digestion regional facility is critical to success — “more important than the specific technology selected,” says one consultant. p59

COLUMNS

COMPOSTING VIEW Britt Faucette Impasse, Evolution Or Explosion p62

Each issue also features departments such as: BioCycle World, Reader's Q&A, Regional Roundup, Abstracts and Industry News.