Regional Roundup

BioCycle July 2004, Vol. 45, No. 7, p. 18

Bellevue, Washington
NEW RECYCLING SERVICES, INCLUDING FOOD SCRAPS COLLECTION,
WILL REDUCE COSTS TO RESIDENTS
On June 28th, many new items began to be recycled by single-family, multifamily and commercial customers under a solid waste contract that is expected to save Bellevue residents $23.5 million over the next ten years. "The contract gives customers more choices in service and greater opportunities to save time and money," explains Damon Diessner of the city’s Utilities Department. Garbage bills are based on size and number of trash containers set out. The three recycling bins used for the last 15 years are being replaced with one 96-gallon blue cart.
Based on the new contract with Rabanco, single-family households can recycle small appliances and electronics (TVs, VCRs, cell phones, computers, etc.). Single family and multifamily customers can include usable clothing and linens for pick up, as well as aluminum trays, plastic film and grocery bags.

"Another new service we’re offering is food scraps recycling," notes Susan Fife-Ferns of Bellevue Utilities. "Food residuals make up 27 percent (largest single category) of what’s left in the garbage can. Even meat and bones
as well as food-contaminated paper such as napkins, paper plates and
pizza boxes can be put in the yard debris containers and be recycled into compost."
The 96-gallon recycling carts were delivered to 26,000 single-family residences. The average cost is expected to drop approximately $1.60/month. Food residuals and yard trimmings will continue to be taken to Cedar Grove Composting. Bellevue officials estimate that the new services will boost overall recycling rates by five percent to eight percent, raising the level to over 60 percent.

Institute, West Virginia
SOLID EFFLUENT FROM DIGESTED POULTRY LITTER TESTED AS FERTILIZER
"Fertilizer costs and increased awareness of nonpoint source pollution runoff amplify the pressures on farm economics," write researchers at West Virginia State College, who reported their results at the American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting this month. "Intensive farming operations provided the impetus for our study using effluent from anaerobic thermophically digested poultry litter as a potential fertilizer." The researchers tested five fertilizer treatments which included pelletized sludge, and two rates of digested solids. Beds treated with double volumes of solids accumulated higher percentages of organic matter in the five-year tests. Fertilizer trials included blueberries, tomatoes, potatoes and sweet corn. Observed Barbara Liedl and her colleagues: "While not a total solution, our research shows the effectiveness of digested poultry litter as part of a nutrient management program making livestock residuals a nutrient resource which offers the potential for organic use." A more detailed report is planned for a coming issue of BioCycle.

Los Angeles, California
CITY POWER COMPANY ISSUES RENEWABLE ENERGY
PROJECT REQUESTS
The nation’s largest municipal utility — the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power — has issued an RFP to acquire up to 1,320,000 megawatt-hours per year of renewable energy by 2010. LADWP is also developing a Renewable Portfolio Standard to increase its share of power generation through renewable sources — including biomass — to 20 percent by 2017. As reported in the May 2004 BioCycle, the Department has agreed to a 20-year, $320 million contract to buy biogas power from an anaerobic digestion plant which will use green waste as a feedstock
"The renewable energy RFP is a broad-based solicitation for hydro, wind, biomass, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy projects," says Frank Salas, acting general manager of LADWP. "We are seeking to attract high-quality proposals that will lay the foundation for expanding our capabilities to provide clean, sustainable and cost-effective power for years to come." The Department has installed 50 microturbines at Lopez Canyon Landfill that convert methane gas into energy.

Des Moines, Iowa
FOOD PROCESSING PLANT SETS UP RECYCLING PROGRAM
Using the same kind of attitude illustrated by this month’s special section on "Food Residuals Recycling" that describes developments from Florida to Washington, the Midwest operations of Loffredo Fresh Produce Company in Des Moines, Iowa has its own "Scraps for Feed" program. Loffredo processes fresh cut and specially prepared fruits and vegetables for more than 2,000 food service and retail establishments in seven states. According to a report in Waste Matters — published by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) — organic scraps from this production facility add up to about 1,300 tons annually, which had been landfilled at high cost.
Helped by a grant from DNR, last year Loffredo bought equipment and vehicles to process and deliver the organics to area farmers for supplemental livestock feed. Now scraps are placed on conveyors, taken to reduction and compression equipment; next a customized waste blower moves them to a trailer, and they are trucked to farmers. Weekly deliveries are made on a rotating basis to at least five farmers in surrounding counties. By diverting about 25 tons of produce from the landfill every week, Loffredo estimates annual savings of up to $100,000.
Anticipating future growth, Loffredo is continuing its educational outreach to other farm organizations — and also works with farmers in the program to have excess food residuals composted on their farms. With the assistance of Iowa State University, nutritional analyses of the product scraps are ongoing. "In the future, it may even be possible for Loffredo to receive and process organic residuals from other distributors, grocery stores and restaurants," points out Tracy Gilmore of Loffredo food service sales.

Boston, Massachusetts
TRIMMING THE FAT — POSITIVE ECONOMICS OF FOOD RESIDUALS RECYCLING
"If all 400 supermarkets in Massachusetts recycled their organics, the industry could realize more than $4 million in savings per year," reads the quote from Chris Flynn, President of the Massachusetts Food Association, in a new brochure, "Trimming The Fat: Cutting Costs By Reducing Food Waste." Among the savings are a reduction in sewer and electricity costs associated with drain disposal, lower trash hauling costs, tax deductions for participating in food donation programs and reduced purchasing costs resulting from better inventory control.
The brochure reflects the important role of the hauler in making food residuals diversion happen. Under the headline, "Getting Started," it notes the following: Contact a waste hauler listed in the Recycling Services Directory and discuss your options (www.wastecap.
org/wastecap/rsd2003/). Generators fill out a short questionnaire, which then connects them with haulers who offer food residuals collection services. (This free resource is compiled and produced by WasteCap of Massachusetts and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.) A PDF file of the brochure will be available at: http://www. mass.gov/dep/recycle/compost.htm.

Portland, Oregon
KEY ISSUES FOR WASTEWATER REUSE IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) set up a "Wastewater Reuse Urban Task Force" to discuss regulatory barriers while moving forward to encourage beneficial reuse in urban areas. The goal is to better protect the state’s water. After an initial meeting in June, members will evaluate technical issues that may require significant policy changes. Comprising the task force are members of state and city natural resource and public health agencies, industry and civil engineering representatives. Russell Harding, DEQ wastewater reuse coordinator, will head the project.
Future articles in BioCycle will continue to probe the impact of water recycling on future drinking water reserves. Cliff Fedler of the Civil Engineering Department at Texas Tech University has been researching this topic. Observes Prof. Fedler: "If only half of the water from our municipal wastewater treatment systems in the U.S. were utilized to irrigate crops, over four million acres of crops could be produced. In addition, sufficient freshwater would be saved to permit our population to grow by 40 percent without adding any strain on our currently available resources."

San Joaquin Valley, California
FARMS AND DAIRIES FORCED TO COMPLY WITH
STATE AIR POLLUTION STANDARDS
An estimated 1,350 farms and dairies now face regulations on smog forming emissions by the eight-county San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, according to the Associated Press. "Air pollution officials consider farms and dairies responsible for 26 percent of the region’s smog producing emissions and 51 percent of the dust and particulates that have give the Valley the nation’s highest asthma rate," says the AP report.
Notes a member of a Midwest Biogas Development Group who attended a "Best Available Technology" session arranged by Kurt Roos of the AgStar program in St. Louis, Missouri recently: "‘Biogas digesters are getting lots of attention in this part of California, as concerns mount on air emissions from untreated manure. A number of individuals from California were present at the AgStar Conference to learn as much as they could about anaerobic digestion technology."

Richmond, Virginia
REGIONAL WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY REVIEWS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
During 2003, Central Virginia recycled 48 percent of the estimated 904,000 tons of municipal waste it generated. "This number is up from 39 percent the previous year; the increase is partially due to debris picked up after hurricane Isabel," report officials at the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA).
The agency’s expanding curbside recycling program, which collects 120 tons of materials each day, contributes 30,000 tons to the recovery rate. There are 48 CVWMA dropoff recycling locations at schools, fire stations, transfer stations and shopping centers that account for an additional 4,800 tons of recyclables. Included in the 2003 figures are over 82,500 tons of recycled yard trimmings and 56,600 tons of waste wood. Virginia law mandates that each local government implement programs to recycle a minimum of 25 percent of MSW generated each year.

Madison, Wisconsin
CAMPAIGNS FOCUS ON "AWAY FROM HOME" RECYCLING
The theme of a recent campaign by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was to encourage state residents to recycle away from home because studies have shown that "Wisconsin consumers are very good recyclers at home, but do not seem to carry that ethic with them on the road." Ads and public service announcements ran for four weeks in late spring, and DNR will post results of "Away from Home" efforts on its recycling web site in July. To receive copies of display ads and other related materials, contact Dan Fields at fielddb@dnr. state.wi.us.
In its latest newsletter, the Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin also reports that the Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair in June — organized by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association — emphasized waste reduction for the 13,000 persons attending the event by using biodegradable plates, cups, etc. and having all items placed into compost bins along with food scraps. Organizers worked with the GrassRoots Recycling Network to achieve a Zero Waste goal. Great example of boosting "away from home" recycling!

Columbus, Ohio
SCRAP TIRE RECYCLING GRANTS
Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources is awarding grants of up to $10,000 to help Ohio communities establish or expand scrap tire amnesty projects. Funding is available to design as well as set up dropoff collection sites. The DNR Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention requires applicants to ensure that tires collected will be used as feedstock for viable end use markets. As reported in Scrap Tire News, locally- and owner-funded cleanups in Ohio have removed over eight million tires from at least 88 sites around the state.

Minamata, Japan
CITY SORTS GARBAGE, STRESSES WASTE REDUCTION
ON ROAD TO BECOMING ECOMODEL
Minamata City (pop. 32,000) is located on the Japanese island of Kyushu. It faces Minamata Bay, formerly a natural, abundant spawning ground for fish. Many local people, reports the newsletter Japan for Sustainability, made their living by fishing or growing vegetables in the foothills around the town. In the 1930s, a company now known as Chisso (formerly the Nippon Nitrogen Fertilizer Co.) began dumping untreated wastewater containing methyl mercury into Minamata Bay. In May 1956, a hospital in Kumamot Prefecture reported to local health officials that it had observed a patient with a central nervous system disease of unknown cause — the first case of what came to be known for 40 years as Minamata disease. In the 1990s, the city "declared its intention" to become a model environmental city.

One result of becoming an "ecomodel" was a decision in 1993 to sort garbage into 21 categories at waste stations located around the city. When sorting first began, waste volume was reduced to half but it then rebounded back to former levels, so the city concentrated on reducing generation. In December, 1997, the Women’s Network for Waste Reduction was established; the result has been many effective steps to achieve those goals.
The first step was working with major retail stores in the city to eliminate disposal of polystyrene food packaging. Next was starting an "Eco-Shop" certification system for environmentally conscious stores. In addition, the Network convinced stores to stop offering disposable shopping bags, and it distributes reusable shopping bags for free to every household in the city. Collection of sorted household food waste started in December 2002. It is processed at private composting plants.

Valdese, North Carolina
MAKING BIOSOLIDS COMPOST IN THE BLUE RIDGE FOOTHILLS
In the latest issue of the Carolinas Composting Council newsletter, Craig Coker describes operations at the 7.5 MGD wastewater treatment plant which has been composting 5,000 wet tons per year of centrifuge-dewatered biosolids since 1982. On a three-acre concrete composting pad, biosolids are mixed with wood chips in a 2:1 volumetric ratio. The mix is then composted by a forced aeration static pile method; air is pulled downward through the piles using a 1/3 hp blower and four-inch perforated pipe. Recorded temperatures are monitored twice daily along the length of each windrow. Residence time in piles is 21 days, followed by at least 30 days of unaerated curing. "Curing piles are also the plant’s inventory storage piles," writes Coker, "so the oldest material (which goes to market first) is over eight months old." Compost is analyzed twice a month for fecal coliform, quarterly for metals and nutrients, with an annual full scan TCLP. Further details on operations are available from plant manager Chris Bortnick, who can be e-mailed at: cbortnick@ci.valdese.nc.us.

Allentown, Pennsylvania
CONVERTING A VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TO RUN ON
RECYCLED VEGETABLE OIL
David Rosenstraus has figured out how to use the oil fast-food restaurants fry their food in as a biodiesel fuel for his Jetta. "And it smells good," he told a reporter for The Morning Call because exhaust fumes take on the scent of whatever food was cooked in the vegetable oil. Several companies sell conversion kits to use this fuel for $500 and up. According to Charles Anderson, president of Missouri based Greasel, sales for his kits have numbered about 2,500, doubling in the past six months because of high fuel costs. Rosenstraus says he plans to start his own business, Fossil Free Fuels, that would convert cars to run on vegetable oil.

Copyright 2004, The JG Press, Inc.