NEW RECYCLING ERA FOR NYC

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 22

New 20-year contract between the city and large-scale recycler leads to major turnaround as reuse replaces landfilling.

TWO YEARS AGO, Mayor Michael Bloomberg argued that New York City could save $40 million a year by "dumping materials into a landfill rather than recycling them." New studies — including one by the city’s own comptroller’s office — show that those numbers were "significantly off." Furthermore, landfill prices have also "shot up" in the last two years. Most of all, Mayor Bloomberg has come to the view that the savings from recycling lie in long-term contracts with recycling companies rather than short-term contracts with less efficient waste removal companies, as has been the historical practice.

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POTENTIAL FOR BIODIESEL AS A COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 42

Oregon agencies are active in supporting an infrastructure to develop a biodiesel industry with sufficient feedstocks, financing, processing equipment and public policies.

A BIODIESEL INDUSTRY in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) could improve rural economies, protect national security and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, says an overview report from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. In Oregon, canola, rapeseed, mustard and a few other crops are most applicable to production and conversion, along with waste grease from the food service or processing industry.

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Regional Roundup

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 18

Lynden, Washington
FIRST COMMERCIAL DAIRY BEGINS OPERATING
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION SYSTEM
The Vander Haak Dairy in Whatcom County, just south of the U.S., Canadian border, will be generating electricity from its 1,500 cows in an anaerobic digestion system. "If dairy farming is to survive in the West," says Darryl Vander Haak, "we need to move ahead with projects like this." Two neighboring dairies are also supplying the digester with manure. Seventy percent of the $1.2 million cost will come from Vander Haak, with the balance coming from grants like the USDA’s Rural Development Renewable Energy Systems program and assistance from Washington State University Climate Friendly Farming Project.

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THE ONE-TWO PUNCH OF RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 4

When searching for logic in the management of our meandering waste stream, the latest developments in New York City provide a sense of hope for all of us. Beginning on page 22 of this issue, we report on the New Recycling Era for NYC. The city’s comptroller’s office and Mayor now calculate the $70/ton costs of paying haulers to bury residuals in landfills are higher than having long-term contracts with a major recycling firm. This is a major paradigm shift — a giant leap for recycling programs around the nation. "Now we are not dealing with multinational companies that have key problems when it comes to recovering and marketing materials … multinationals in the waste industry that have landfill profit centers and/or incinerators," said a NYC official. "Now we are dealing with companies that have been in the scrap recovery business for decades … people who concentrate on keeping residuals to a minimum … who manage details of

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THE BALKANS — BOSNIA MISSION INCLUDES WASTE MANAGEMENT …AND BIOREMEDIATION

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 59

Methods for recycling materials and remediating contaminated soils in the Balkans are applicable to other military operations as well as the civilian community. Preferred methods now emphasize recovery and composting operations.

Major Robert E. Tucker, Major James F. Lee, and Major William R. Gatewood

THE OVERALL OPERATIONS in the Balkans have matured from an initial entry of troops into a war-torn country to the current peaceful, steady state phase of operations. The multinational forces work from established bases that rely on stabilized civilian infrastructure and the host country work force. In this respect, the Army’s approach to solid waste management also has matured. In the initial stage, processes such as burning and/or dumping all types of waste have

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SPAIN — BROADENING COMPOST USE IN SOUTHERN EUROPE

Faced with the challenges of low organic matter and high erosion, the large agricultural industry
in Andalusia, Spain is finding solutions offered by compost.

Alexis Kerner and José María Álvarez

ANDALUSIA is the southern region of the Spanish peninsula whose coasts border both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest and most populous region (pop. 7,478,432) of the country, covering 87,597 square kilometers that are divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Cadiz, Almeria, Malaga, Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and Jaen. The landscape, dotted with olive and fruit trees, is largely dominated by agricultural activities. Regional farmers are faced with two challenges: low organic matter and erosion.

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INCREASING DOLLAR VALUE FOR COMPOST PRODUCTS

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 48

Pricing compost in line with the product or service it is replacing can boost revenues from compost marketers.

Ron Alexander, Rod Tyler and Nora Goldstein

KEY TO understanding how to increase the dollar value of compost products is to recognize two distinct markets: 1) Traditional, "same product category" markets such as soil amendments, fertilizers; and 2) Nontraditional markets such as erosion control, bioremediation, storm water management. With traditional markets, compost is a direct substitute for an existing product such as topsoil or peat moss, e.g. as a component in a golf green mix or as a straight topdressing on an athletic field. Typically, there is a little price elasticity between products in this category, even when the benefits that compost adds are factored in. A typical price point is in the $15/cubic yard range. Therefore compost competes directly on cost, and its added value may help bring sales in the door.

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SCAVENGING THE WAY TO BIOSOLIDS COMPOSTING IN COALVILLE

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 45

Facility manager gets good results by converting an old agricultural grain elevator into a screen to separate chips for composting.

Dan Emerson

WITH BUDGETS unusually tight, local governments often have to use old-fashioned ingenuity in coming up with ways to provide needed public services without spending more money. Coalville, Utah (population 1,470) is a case in point.

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NEW MARKETS FOR RECYCLED BEDDING FROM DIGESTERS

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 44

Solids utilization becomes significant income stream as dairy farmers discover range of benefits.

Steve Dvorak

THERE is a growing awareness among dairy farmers regarding the increased valuation of the separated biosolids from anaerobic digestion of dairy waste. Financial benefits for dairy farmers include purchased bedding replacement, biosolids sales off-farm, lowered dairy herd somatic cell counts, reduced dairy culling rates, and easier on-farm manure management.

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GEARING UP BIODIESEL DEVELOPMENT

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 38
Faced with air pollution problems, North Carolina’s high-tech Research Triangle focuses on making and utilizing a blend of fuel derived from organic feedstocks.

Dan Emerson

AS THE HOME of Duke University and other top research institutions, North Carolina’s Piedmont Triangle has become one of the high-tech "meccas" in North America. Recently, the region has also been facing a major challenge that comes with growth — air pollution. Not surprisingly, the area has turned to leading-edge

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LANDFILL METHANE FUELS GREEN ENERGY PROGRAM

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 37

Power utility based in Sacramento, California has 15-year contract with landfill that provides renewable energy to both commercial and residential customers.

THE KIEFER LANDFILL which is owned by Sacramento County, California, has a 15-year purchase agreement with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to have its methane used in the SMUD Greenergy program. The gas-to-energy plant has been operating for four years, supplying 50 to 60 percent of the load that now serves more than 28,000 "Greenergy" customers. SMUD offers a flat rate of an extra $6/month to renewable energy participants which now include 900 companies.

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REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND ELECTRICAL POWER COSTS

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 35

California dairy creates methane recovery system to convert manure into energy that fuels cheese plant and sends excess electricity back into utility grid.

IN ATWATER, California, Cottonwood Dairy — operated by Joseph Gallo Farms — will begin operating a biogas-powered generator next month with the capacity to produce up to 2,500,000-kilowatt hours per year from its dairy manure. The new anaerobic digester will save an estimated $275,000 in annual electrical costs, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT BUILDS PROFIT CENTER FROM ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 31

Through creative management of digesters, Boston’s Deer Island Treatment Plant leverages biosolids programs to achieve renewable energy goals.

Kristen Patneaude and Jeff Reade

THE DEER ISLAND Treatment Plant (DITP) of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) is the centerpiece of the $3.8 billion Boston Harbor Project, one of the largest public works projects in recent history. DITP services 2.5 million people, has a 1.27 billion gallon per day capacity and is the second largest wastewater treatment plant in the country. Like most modern treatment plants, DITP uses both primary and secondary wastewater treatment processes to treat sewage.

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LEAF COMPOSTING PROJECT GROWS UP WITH MULTIPLE FEEDSTOCKS

BioCycle October 2004, Vol. 45, No. 10, p. 27

The 29,000 tons processed annually at Burlington, Vermont’s Intervale include food residuals, manures, ice cream waste, hay, wood shavings as well as yard trimmings.

Molly Farrell

WHAT is now Vermont’s largest composting operation started out as a volunteer effort to compost the leaves of Burlington, Vermont’s residents. Today, Intervale Compost Products (ICP) processes more than 29,000 tons of organic materials annually on a 15-acre site. That total includes more than 2,500 tons of food residuals; 2,500 tons of cow manure; 3,500 tons of horse manure; 2,000 tons of chicken manure; 4,500 tons of leaves and yard trimmings; 4,000 tons of ice cream waste; and nearly 10,000 tons of bedded straw, hay, sawdust, and wood shavings.

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