BioCycle World :: BioCycle, Advancing Composting, Organics Recycling & Renewable Energy

BioCycle World

BioCycle May 2004, Vol. 45, No. 5, p 6

DEVELOPING NATIONAL FINANCIAL INCENTIVES THROUGH THE RECYCLING INCENTIVE ALLIANCE
"The goal of the Recycling Incentive Alliance (RIA) is to advocate enactment of national legislation providing financial incentives to significantly increase recycling and composting levels of solid waste," explains Lori Scozzafava of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). "It will be a multiyear effort involving many organizations and coordinated by SWANA." To date, participants in meetings include individuals from organizations representing industries that recycle glass, metals, tires, plastics, paper, paperboard and C&D materials, as well as organizations involved in composting yard, food residuals and other organics.
The group is considering two types of incentives, supply side and demand side. Supply side incentives to local governments and other parties that collect and process recyclables would increase supply of higher quality of materials. Demand side incentives to users of recyclables would increase prices they offer and create more consistent demand. SWANA encourages input on these concepts which can be emailed to Mac Bybee at mbybee@swana.org or Gina Hawkins at hawkinsrm@ci.gainesville.
fl-us. Lori Scozzafava will discuss RIA and its implications for the "Future of Solid Waste Management in America" at the 34th Annual BioCycle National Conference, June 21-23, 2004 in Philadelphia. See pages 15-17 of this issue for complete agenda and registration form.

COMPOST TEA RECOMMENDATIONS ISSUED
BY NATIONAL ORGANICS STANDARDS BOARD
Debate continues following the April release of recommendations by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Compost Tea Task Force. According to a report by Dan Sullivan in the electronic newsletter, The New Farm, published by Rodale Institute, the debate centers on whether introduction of simple sugars (such as molasses) to increase microbial population of compost tea creates a "too hospitable environment for harmful pathogens, such as strains of E. coli and Salmonella."
The Compost Tea Task Force has set up separate, more restrictive guidelines for those who use "compost tea additives" in their brews than for those who do not. Continues Sullivan: "An interesting footnote is that mineral- and plant-based catalysts which came on the compost tea scene largely as an answer to concerns about the detriments of simple sugars — also now fall under the more restricted use category. In other words ... any ‘materials other than water and compost added at the start of the compost tea making process to increase microbial biomass/populations’ is subject to the more stringent guidelines."
Task Force recommendations from the NOSB include the following: Potable water must be used to make compost tea and for any dilution before application; Equipment used to prepare compost tea must be sanitized before use; Compost tea should be made with "compliant" compost or vermicompost (using NOSB guidelines); Compost tea made without additives can be applied without restriction; Compost tea made with additives can be applied without restriction if the production system (same compost batch, additives and equipment) has been pretested, meeting EPA recommended water quality guidelines for bacterial indicator of fecal contamination; Compost extracts — any mixture of compost, water, additives and adjuvants not held for more than one hour before use — may be applied without restriction; Raw manure extracts or teas may be applied to the soil with a 90/120 day preharvest restriction, and foliar applications are prohibited.
The NOSB concludes its recommendation by noting "the emerging national acceptance of compost tea as a biologically-based crop production tool by organic as well as conventional growers, clearly indicates the need for further scientific investigation to validate the benefits and concerns of compost tea use. The Task Force unanimously urges USDA and its agencies to strongly support additional research on the potential for crop contamination and plant disease/pest control by compost tea.
At the BioCycle National Conference in Philadelphia, June 21-23, Sarah Kelley of Earth Pledge will speak on Compost Tea Applications — what we know and still need to know; Research trials; Selecting feedstocks and systems to achieve beneficial results.

RECYCLED WATER PROJECTS CONTINUE TO EXPAND
Last month, the latest plant using reclaimed wastewater went online in Denver, Colorado — joining the reported 1,500 U.S. utilities that have water recycling programs. "A large portion of our water in Colorado and the Southwest is used for irrigation," points out Don Wojcik, water policy analyst for Western Resource Advocates in Boulder. "This is one really good way to address that without looking first at expensive, environmentally damaging solutions like reservoirs. ... The biggest obstacle is the fact that it basically comes from a sewer line."
According to a Denver Post article, 30 million gallons of water a day will be treated before it is pumped to water customers which include the Denver Zoo, Xcel Energy, municipal parks, school playgrounds and golf courses. Denver Water estimates it will save enough water to supply 35,000 households using reclaimed water with its new $75 million wastewater recycling plant. Instead of pumping the 30 million gallons of treated wastewater into the South Platte River, it will be used for irrigation and landscaping.

REDUCING OUT-OF-STATE TRASH BURIED IN
MICHIGAN LANDFILLS
Last month, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signed a bipartisan, 11-bill package of legislation intended to reduce the amount of out-of -state /out-of-country trash that the state accepts. The legislation creates a two-year moratorium on new landfills, prohibits landfills from accepting out-of-state waste that does not follow standards for Michigan’s own trash, increases landfill inspections and emphasizes enforcement of solid waste laws. The new legislative package is expected to be subject to legal challenges on the grounds that the new bills violate international and national commerce protection.
"Today, we take a critical step in putting a lid on Michigan’s unwanted reputation as the country’s trashcan," Granholm said at the signing ceremony in southeast Michigan, an area hit hard by the volume of Canadian trash. "The steps we take in these new laws will help us reduce the amount of trash our state is currently being forced to take. These new laws will also help us protect the health and safety of Michigan citizens." Currently, trash from other states and Canada accounts for about one-fourth of waste dumped in Michigan landfills each year. Nearly 1.55 million tons of trash, mostly from Toronto, was trucked to the landfill in Sumpter Township in 2003. Granholm signed a second set of laws at a high school in Macomb County, home to Pine Tree Acres Landfill, where up to 80 trucks a day dump 40 tons of trash from communiites in western Ontario.

BIOSOLIDS RESEARCH SUMMIT REPORT NOW AVAILABLE
The Water Environment Federation has announced that the final report from the Biosolids Research Summit, held in July 2003, is now available as a free download, and complete transcripts may be obtained at no charge. The summit was sponsored by the EPA and Water Environment Research Foundation to help develop "a credible research agenda that addresses biosolids-related issues." (See "Summit Identifies Biosolids Research Needs," September 2003.) To view the proceedings, visit: http//biosolids.policy.net/relatives27761.pdf.

MORATORIUM URGED BY PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION ON CAFOS
As reported in Alternative Agriculture News (Feb, 2004), the American Public Health Association (APHA) has called for federal, state and local governments to impose a "precautionary moratorium" on all new concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) until more scientific data exist to gauge their health and environmental risks, especially in regard to the health consequences for infants and children. APHA’s policy statement, one of 23 announced on January 12, 2004 (www.apha.org/legislative), cites problems associated with CAFOs including air and water pollution; increasing antibiotic resistance; respiratory illnesses among CAFO workers; health problems among neighboring residents; and negative economic and social impacts on communities. An estimated 54 percent of U.S. livestock, confined in just five percent of the largest livestock farms, produce 575 million pounds of solid waste annually, notes APHA.
Meanwhile in that same newsletter, it was reported that Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell vetoed a bill containing language that would open municipalities to lawsuits when they act to regulate "factory farms" and disposal of livestock waste. Gov. Rendell said that H.B. 1222 fails to address "complex nutrient management issues" in a "comprehensive and progressive way" that balances the agriculture sector’s business needs and legitimate concerns over environmental impacts.

STUDY EXPLAINS METHODS NEEDED TO
MAKE CITY’S RECYCLING "MORE COST-EFFECTIVE"
In the summer of 2002, New York City suspended glass and plastic recycling due to record budget deficits, begins a report called Recycling Returns, prepared by staff of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) which notes: "A year and a half later, the city has reversed course and decided to restore its full recycling program."
According to NRDC and its colleagues, the remarkable turnaround is due in part to a greater recognition that recycling is more cost-effective than some observers originally thought. Their study stresses that the city should adopt major reforms "to make recycling even more cost-effective." By making recycling more economically stable, these changes will help expand New York’s program and prevent the city from repeating the numerous changes in residential recycling rules that have eroded public confidence. These three specific changes are urged:
Create a More Powerful Recycling Office: The current structure of the city’s recycling program significantly hampers its ability to put cost-saving strategies in place. City officials should create a new recycling office that is more business oriented and on at least equal footing with the city’s other solid waste units. With these changes in place, the city can better focus on reducing the costs of processing recyclables and developing stronger markets to sell them.
Streamline the Collection System: Collecting paper, metal, glass, and plastic accounts for more than 85 percent of the direct costs of running the city’s recycling program, and so collection presents the greatest opportunity for shaving recycling expenses. By changing collection practices and streamlining routes and schedules, the city could dramatically lower its recycling costs.
Strengthen the Public Education Program: A poll of residents in all five boroughs conducted in 2001 revealed that people remain confused about what can be recycled under the city’s recycling program. The recent cutbacks to the recycling program only added to the confusion, and this confusion costs the city money. When the wrong items are placed in recycling bins or recyclables are mistakenly added to trash, the city’s solid waste costs go up.
Copies of the report, Recycling Returns, can be obtained by sending $7.50 (plus $3.95 shipping and handling) to NRDC Publications Dept., 4C West 20th St., New York, NY 10011. Virali Gokaldas of the NRDC staff is preparing a special report on improving recycling programs for a future BioCycle issue.

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARIES COMING UP FOR STATEWIDE BOTTLE BILLS
According to the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), eight of 11 bottle bill states are celebrating special anniversaries this year: Connecticut and Iowa enacted their laws 25 years ago (requiring small, refundable deposits on beverage containers). Delaware, Massachu- setts, New York, Maine, Michigan and Vermont also have similar events coming up. At least five of those states seek to expand the laws to cover more beverages including bottled water, teas, juice drinks, etc. Bottle bill advocates say the legislation works because the nickel deposit paid by consumers is refunded when the can or bottle is returned to a store or local redemption center. Another update being advocated would transfer the "unclaimed deposits" (deposits not claimed by consumers) from the beverage distributors and bottlers to the state. State supreme courts in Michigan and Massachusetts ruled in 1989 that unclaimed deposits were the rightful property of the state.
CRI research director Jenny Gitlitz emphasizes that global environmental benefits from container bills are even more impressive than local impacts. "Recycling the 52 billion aluminum cans trashed this year alone would have saved the energy equivalent of 16 million barrels of crude oil. Beverage containers are recycled in nonbottle bill states too, but only about one out of four are recycled, compared to four out of five on average in bottle bill states."

COMPOST TEA TESTED FOR ACCELERATING DEGRADATION OF SUGARCANE FIELD RESIDUES
Researchers at the Louisiana State University AgCenter are testing ways to accelerate degradation of sugarcane "trash mat," via a combination of mechanical (shredding) and biological (compost tea) mechanisms. Compost teas were generated during different phases of compost production and evaluated to determine if biologically active or finished composts produced more suitable inoculums to enhance degradation, explains Prof. Steve Hall of the University’s Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department.
It’s estimated that nearly one million acres of sugarcane are grown in the U.S. annually yielding 35.8 million tons of sugarcane. Currently two harvest systems are used. The first is burning the cane prior to harvest, cutting stalks and then burning the trash. A newer method of harvesting the cane strips the leaves from stalks, the cane then goes to the sugar mill, and leaves and tops are left on the ground as "trash mat." In Louisiana and other humid areas, the whole leafy trash mat cannot remain on cane row tops in the fields because of the negative effect it has on new growth.
Grinding trash material to less than 2.54 cm seems to increase microbiological activity and degradation. Compost teas generated during the second mesophilic phase of composting were found to be populated with higher numbers of bacteria, and "appear to enhance degradation of the trash mat," observes Hall, adding: "Further exploration of compost tea generating methods and applications should be undertaken to clarify which, if any, may improve in-situ biodegradation. Matching the phase of composting, both in temperature and with the substrate to be degraded, as well as increasing the numbers of active bacteria by several orders of magnitude may be required to improve biodegradation significantly. … There does appear to be promise with this method to dramatically reduce air pollution by not burning and potentially improve water or soil quality as well."

EPA GRANTS TRAIN 1,000 FOR BROWNFIELDS JOBS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing Brownfields Job Training Grants to teach environmental cleanup skills to approximately 1,000 people living in low-income neighborhoods near brownfields sites. A total of $2.4 million will be awarded to 16 communities in 13 states, the EPA reports. To date, more than 60 percent of the workers who have completed the brownfields training have obtained employment in the environmental field with an average hourly salary of $12.84.