Regional Roundup

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 18

Sun Valley, Idaho
JULY "WINE AUCTION PICNIC" IS FIRST
WASTE-FREE EVENT IN IDAHO
With help from the Environmental Resource Center (ERC), the Sun Valley Center for the Arts planned a waste-free Wine Auction Picnic for late July. Compostable table settings were purchased; paper plates and napkins — along with food scraps — were collected by Cedar Grove Composting near Seattle, Washington and processed at its site there. "I have always been intrigued to see if we could further help recycling in Blaine County," said Steve Banchero, CEO of Cedar Grove and part-time Sun Valley resident. He also pointed out that the picnic "is an opportunity to explore feasibility of similar composting projects in Sun Valley."
The ERC sparked the idea. "We recycle at all events during the summer," says Vanessa Fry, ERC development director, "but plastic cups continuously generated an excessive amount of waste." When ERC approached the staff of the Arts Center, they responded with enthusiasm. About 1,500 people attend the picnic, so the logistics were challenging.

Business Trends

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 22

EMERGING FILTRATION, DEWATERING SYSTEMS LEAD TO BETTER WAYS TO PROTECT WATER QUALITY
The next issue of BioCycle will include a report on "Solving The Challenges of Unsewered Communities," providing details of a symposium sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. One speaker stressed that continuing pressure as well as regulations for performance of on-site systems requires "a greater number of people working in the industry." Another symposium speaker emphasized that design components of these systems should give special attention to disposal of effluent in an environmentally responsible way.

BioCycle World

August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 6

SEEKING VENDORS TO COMPOST OR DIGEST 150 TPD
OF ORGANICS FROM FOOD CENTER
The amount of food residuals and related organics generated each day at a major food distribution terminal that serves New York City is getting closer to being turned into a resource — instead of greater amounts to be hauled to out-of-state landfills. As an indicator of how the reuse pressure is mounting, the New York City Economic Development Corporation has contracted with DSM Environmental Services of Ascutney, Vermont to conduct a feasibility study of the technical and economic viability of recovering the organic fraction of the waste stream from the Hunt’s Point food distribution center. Generators include the Produce Cooperative, Fulton Fish Market Cooperative, and individual food distribution centers at Hunt’s Point.

POWERING OUR WAY TO A RENEWABLE ENERGY FUTURE

Editorial BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 4

As we prepare the final agenda for the BioCycle Fourth Annual Conference on Renewable Energy From Organics Recycling, we are again reminded how much time is needed to change the status quo. In this instance, one "status quo" that needs changing is the excessive reliance on imported oil. A session at the Conference — to be held November 8-10, 2004 in Des Moines, Iowa — will tackle this specific challenge: "Why Anaerobic Digestion Is Not Being Adopted More Widely." Representatives will participate in finding the answer from the utility industry, farm lending institutions and dairy farmers.

EXPANDING THE POTENTIAL OF IN-VESSEL COCOMPOSTING

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 38

Arizona’s Pinetop-Lakeside facility enjoys community support because it takes two waste streams and combines them to create a marketable product.

Phil Hayes

LOCATED in the eastern mountains of Arizona, the Pinetop-Lakeside Sanitary District has been expanding its cocomposting operations for both municipal solid waste and biosolids. Our management challenge in the late 1980s arose when closing landfills presented the District with a biosolids disposal dilemma. Hauling dewatered biosolids three time a day — more than 80 miles — was not financially viable, so we explored the possibility of in-vessel cocomposting.

CALIFORNIA COMPOST AND MULCH PRODUCERS CREATE A BIG PICTURE

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 22

Survey results provided by the California Integrated Waste Management Board cover latest developments in the state’s organics infrastructure.

HOW MANY TONS of green material, woody residuals, manure, agricultural by-products, food residuals, biosolids and other organics are utilized annually in California? What percentage is marketed as compost, mulch, boiler fuel or alternative daily cover? What’s the average bulk density — how many cubic yards are in a ton — of those products? California has a rich history of organic materials being used in landscaping, at nurseries and increasingly in agriculture; there has always been a question of how much compost and mulch are used in those market categories.

With the publication of its survey results on the state’s compost and mulch producers, the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) provides much data on feedstock sources, products and markets. Information for the organics infrastructure was produced under contract for the Board by Matt

METHANE DIGESTERS MOVE FORWARD ON CALIFORNIA DAIRY FARMS

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 62

An organic creamery is the most recent installer of an anaerobic digestion system to generate power from manure and wastewater, saving $6,000/month in electricity costs.

THIS IS one more step toward my goal of having our farm become completely self-sufficient in energy with minimal environmental impact," says owner Albert Straus of his organic Straus Family Creamery in Marshall, California. Last spring, the digester began generating up to 600,000 kWh per year, and "operations are coming together nicely," adds Straus., who is working with the utility company, PG&E. Funded by California’s SB5X alternative energy grant program, this is the first system to take advantage of regulations under the net metering legislation which effectively allows the entire operation to run meters in reverse as excess electricity is sent back into the grid. It also means that the dairy will save about $6,000/month energy costs.

PAPER RECYCLING CHASE IN ASIAN AND EUROPEAN MARKETS

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 68

Viewed as a paper hungry tiger, China is projected to consume 43 million tons of recycled stock by 2010 — adding to the pressure to upgrade residential recycling services worldwide.

Pete Grogan

IN 2003, for the first time, 50 percent of all of the paper manufactured in the U.S. was recovered. Worldwide, approximately 330 millions of tons of paper are manufactured each year and about 160 million tons are recovered.

International demand for recovered paper is expected to increase at the rate of eight million metric tons per year through the remainder of the decade. That’s enough paper to fill the Empire State Building 120 times. The world’s paper producers have historically looked to North America and Europe for the largest volumes of paper, as these regions represent more than half of all the paper recovered in the world.

CREATING A ZERO WASTE FUTURE IN EUROPE (FRANCE AND UNITED KINGDOM)

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p 66

While challenges are substantial, a transformation is in full sway to shift to effective resource management that integrates economic, environmental and social needs of each community.

Neil Seldman

ALTHOUGH the recycling movements in France and the United Kingdom are vastly different, they may soon converge on a zero waste future.

In the UK, recycling is at the classic economic take-off stage. Basic infrastructure and institutions are in place. The decision to recycle has been made. Private and public capital is flooding into the sector focused on local government and at least 300 social enterprises. The Community Recycling Network (CRN), the country’s recycling trade association, is controlled by grassroots, mission driven service and education organizations. In France, there is no comparable recycling infrastructure, yet the country is poised for fundamental change from the traditional burn and bury paradigm.

CHALLENGES IN FRANCE
Four critical structural problems create a formidable barrier to a vibrant recycling economy in France: Solid waste policies are made at the national level of government, which undermines local creativity and initiative; The packaging industry controls recycling, which prevents a real market for secondary materials from developing and limits the amount and types of materials recycled; Put or pay contracts with incinerators force communities to burn instead of divert materials despite cost-effective alternatives; and Many cities rely on burning waste for over 50 percent of the energy for cogeneration and steam district heating networks. Whereas New York City can convert its Marine Transfer Stations to accommodate recycling, Paris cannot so conveniently transform its incinerators into recycling facilities without replacing the source of energy. Thus, the current solid waste management system in France is addicted to waste incineration just as the U.S. economy is addicted to oil.

LANDFILL GAS POWERS FOOD PROCESSING FIRM

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 65

Partners in methane recovery collection/conversion program include landfill owner, local utility, system provider and food plant.

A COOPERATIVE project that involves a food and beverage company in Memphis, Tennessee; a major waste management firm; the regional energy utility; and a Louisiana technology business specializing in emissions reduction projects are showing what it takes to create a system to collect and utilize gas generated from decomposing MSW at the landfill. In this case, the methane will be transported from the BFI South Shelby Landfill via pipeline constructed by Memphis Light, Gas and Water — using innovative technology from CPL Systems, Inc. to The Solae Company plant that serves food and beverage manufacturers, dietary supplement developers and a variety of commercial and industrial customers. The gas will reduce the Solae plant’s fossil-fuel usage by nearly 25 to 30 percent, while cutting ground-level ozone emissions by 20 percent.

PENNSYLVANIA ENTERS SECOND FUNDING ROUND OF ENERGY HARVEST PROGRAM

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 63

Building on last year’s programs, the Keystone State’s Department of Environmental Protection puts more emphasis on creating greater economic development.

"WE ARE investing in biodigesters to find cleaner ways to use traditional energy sources," said Kathleen McGinty, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection when announcing the second funding round of the state’s Energy Harvest program. This round funds projects that promote and build markets for renewable energy technologies. "Energy Harvest is not a research initiative. It is about deployment of innovative technologies in the marketplace ... that create jobs and produce economic development."

BIOSOLIDS AND GLOBAL WARMING: EVALUATING THE MANAGEMENT IMPACTS

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 54

A case study of the King County, Washington biosolids program provides tools to evaluate the CO2 emissions and carbon sequestration of various management options. Part I

Sally Brown and Peggy Leonard

GLOBAL warming is one of, if not the greatest, environmental threat currently facing our society. Global warming is thought to be caused by elevated emissions of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. In 1997, 160 of the world’s developed nations met and adopted the Kyoto Protocol in an attempt to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Although the United States has not signed the protocol, local agencies and private companies have begun to understand the impact of their daily operations on the carbon balance and global warming. A bill, the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act, will soon be introduced in the Senate to begin concrete actions in the U.S. to control global warming.

King County, Washington prides itself on being an environmental steward. As such, it has taken steps to understand how its various programs impact global warming. As part of this goal, King County asked the University of Washington to

MINNESOTA DOT ADVANCES COMPOST USE FOR EROSION CONTROL

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 49

Revised specifications and successful highway projects set the stage for compost-based solutions for erosion and sediment control and storm water management.

Dan Emerson and Nora Goldstein

THE NORTH shore of Lake Superior, extending from northern Minnesota into Canada, is considered one of the most scenic areas in North America. The shoreline along U.S. Highway 61 (the fabled subject of an early Bob Dylan song), a few miles north of the port city of Duluth, is the site of two innovative projects using compost-based erosion control systems to stabilize slopes and restore vegetation after road construction. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) received a $25,000 grant from the Great Lakes Commission (GLC), along with assistance from the Federal Highway Administration, to fund the first restoration trial as part of a 3-mile road reconstruction project in Grand Marais, done in the fall of 2003. The second project, the Silver Cliff Creek Trail in Two Harbors, involves construction of a bike and walking path along an abandoned road corridor (part of Hwy. 61) that has been deemed historic. That project was still in active construction as of late July.

GOLD MEDAL FOR COMPOSTING IS ONLY ONE-THIRD THE STORY

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 46

With facilities in Montana, Idaho and Hawaii, a company takes stock of its accomplishments, challenges and opportunities — while getting ready to accept an award for excellence.

LAST MONTH, the staff who operate the EKO Systems composting site on Maui, Hawaii learned that they received the Gold 2004 Composting Excellence Award from Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) for their "commitment to achieving the highest standards in the solid waste industry." According to John Harder, chief of Maui County’s Solid Waste Division, nearly 50 percent of the county’s landfill diversion is the direct result of EKO and its sister company, Pacific Biodiesel (see sidebar).

AN MSW COMPOSTING JOURNEY

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 43

A veteran mixed MSW composting facility manager provides insights into how economics and engineering challenges led to new ownership and a retooling of operations.

Robert Spencer

THE cocomposting facility in Marlborough, Massachusetts is a successor to a biosolids composting plant that was developed in the mid-1980s by the city of Marlborough. The covered, aerated static pile operation was successful in terms of manufacturing marketable compost, but due to neighborhood encroachment, was eventually shut down by a neighborhood lawsuit regarding nuisance odors. Nevertheless, the city was committed to composting its biosolids and issued an RFP for enclosed in-vessel technology, cocomposting biosolids with municipal solid waste.

ON THE WAY TO "MANUFACTURING" RECYCLED PRODUCTS

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 34

Oregon center creates a materials acceptance program at the transfer station, then sells many items to green builders and other buyers.

Laura Swanson

ON the North Oregon Coast, in the shadow of Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain associated with 18th century buried treasure — and just a short distance from the town of Manzanita, Oregon, many people are discovering useful "gems" at a place once known as "The Dump." This recycling center and resale store — now called CART’M (Community Action Resource Team – Manzanita) — provides the area with unique, valuable "waste management services."

CART’M is an innovative recycling/reuse center run by a nonprofit community organization that also operates the Manzanita Transfer Station ("the dump"), where it is located. CART’M has a free recycling drop-off/donation center and a resale store specializing in used building materials. It sells paint, windows, doors, dimensional lumber, painted and treated wood, plywood, molding, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, stove pipe, water pipe, shingles, tools, hardware, and wood scrap for firewood and kindling. The store also sells everything from books and toys to household items and furniture. Most of these items were rescued from dump loads or were brought to the center and donated by community members.

NEW RECYCLED PRODUCTS ON DISPLAY

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 31

Over 100 vendors showcase sustainable building materials, consumer goods and more at annual California event featuring high quality, competitively-priced, recycled content products.

Robert Feinbaum

RECYCLED products have become as much a spring time tradition in Sacramento as the city’s famous camellias. Last spring, California’s capitol played host to the fifth annual Recycled Products trade show – designed to "showcase high-quality, competitively priced, recycled content and environmentally preferable products."

More than 100 vendors displayed products ranging from office supplies to materials handling equipment while 2,000 visitors, many from government agencies with mandates to purchase recycled products, strolled through the expansive exhibit hall. This year’s show was the largest to date. "We’re increasing our attendance every year" says Jerry Hart, the show organizer.

AGENCY TEAMWORK CREATES COMPOST SUCCESS

BioCycle August 2004, Vol. 45, No. 8, p. 29

Composting programs have linked several Walla Walla Valley, Washington agencies in a collective effort to manage organic residuals.

Russ Davis

THE charming town of Walla Walla, Washington has earned quite a reputation over the last century or so. It was first known for its onions — the world famous Walla Walla Sweet. Then, it won a "Great American Main Street Award" from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Following that, it was selected by Sunset Magazine as its "Best Main Street in the West." Walla Walla is now enjoying international acclaim as an area where some of the world’s best wines are produced. But why stop there?