BioCycle World

BioCycle January 2005, Vol. 46, No. 1, p. 6

WEST COAST CONFERENCE FEATURES MAJOR INITIATIVES
IN LOCAL ORGANICS RECOVERY
With three-stream service for 150,000 households and a booming commercial program in food residuals composting, San Francisco's Jack Macy will present the city's strategy to those attending the BioCycle West Coast Conference March 7-9, 2005. Other topics to be covered at the Conference will include: Bringing A

Supermarket Chain On-Line with Food Residuals Composting; Pros and Cons of Adding Food Residuals to a Yard Trimmings Composting Program; Launching A 50% Plus Recycling/Organics Diversion Program At San Francisco Stadium.
Special tours will take attendees to behind-the-scenes operations at food separation projects at local hotel and restaurant to see the beginnings of composting projects.
For complete program agenda and registration details, see pages 15-17 of this issue. Or visit http://www.jgpress. com/conferences1/conferences1.html.

THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF BIODIESEL
SHOW GREAT PROMISE IN NEW BOOK
In a book titled Biodiesel, Growing A New Energy Economy, author Greg Pahl successfully presents the reality of how a grassroots movement becomes a powerful mover on the world scene. He provides the spirit, the main players, the varieties of technologies, and the scenarios needed to achieve goals. From the vegetable oil revival to biodiesel politics, Pahl captures the drama, the intensity, the expertise and the vision. In his final chapter, Looking Ahead, he concludes:
“The biodiesel industry is still young. ... It needs to settle the feedstock wars and develop better feedstock choices ... to work more cooperatively with the many different constituencies. Large producers, small producers and home-brew advocates need to be allowed, and even helped, to find and develop their respective market niches. .... The industry also needs to find the right balance between receiving government support and avoiding becoming totally dependent on it. ... The industry is now a global reality, and it faces global challenges. The biodiesel industry needs to find - and settle into - its proper place in the new renewable energy economy of the 21st century that is being born even as the old fossil fuel economy comes to an end. Rudolf Diesel would be pleased.”
Biodiesel will be published in February 2005 ($18/paperback) by Chelsea Green Publishing of White River Junction, Vermont. Call (802) 295 6300; or visit the website at: www.chelseagreen.com.

BIOMASS PROJECTS AWARDED $15 MILLION IN
GRANTS FROM USDA AND DOE
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) announced the availability of up to $15 million in grants to support conversion of biomass into biobased products and renewable energy. Officials noted that these funds will support important research projects since “biomass use strengthens local economies, decreases dependence on foreign energy supplies, and reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.” The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is requesting proposals which should be submitted by Feb. 15, 2005 to USDA-NRCS, Management Services Division, PO Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013-2890. Attn: Sheila Leonard.
Eligible applicants include private sector entities, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, national laboratories, federal and state research agencies as well as consortiums. For additional details, visit www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov.

OPPORTUNITIES AND BARRIERS FOR
REUSING WASTEWATER IN THE NORTHWEST
An upcoming article in BioCycle by Cliff Fedler of Texas Tech University examines how recycling wastewater will save future drinking water supplies in many regions of the U.S. Illustrating what is being done by states, Russell Harding of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) writes that at the end of 2004, the DEQ filed a report with the state legislature on urban water reuse. Included in the report is a recommendation that Oregon should develop a “clear state policy promoting water reuse when done in a manner protective of human health and the environment.” It urges the following actions: Compile a manual of Best Management practices for water reuse projects; State agencies should collaborate to develop guidance to move reuse projects through Oregon's regulatory and permitting process; Water quality treatment standards should be developed that more appropriately match defined end uses to include in the standards. “Although there are many places in the U.S., and several Oregon communities, engaged in water reuse, it has not become widespread,” the report observes. To promote water reuse, appropriate action could be taken in the form of an Executive Order from the Governor of Oregon, or steps by the Oregon Legislative Assembly.

ITALIAN COMPOSTING ASSOCIATION PROMOTES
QUALITY CRITERIA FOR PRODUCTS
From David Newman, General Secretary of the Consortium of Italian Composters (CIC), comes this report of the group's activities during 2004:
CIC was established in 1992 with one principal aim - to set up a national program for quality compost which was finally accomplished in 2004 with our National Quality Mark. We verify that the quality criteria are met and that the analyses to establish them are done by a laboratory appointed by us and unknown to the composting plant. Further, we undertake spot checks four times a year in the plant to ensure that the compost analyzed is produced there. To date, 14 companies have signed up for the program, but only nine of our composting plants have met the criteria. Five others have failed to meet the standards. Nevertheless, almost 25 percent of all quality compost in Italy is produced by those nine plants - almost 180,000 metric tons. Once analyses are found acceptable, we give the plant authorization to use the trademark. A certificate is issued and a contract drawn up on how the plant must adhere to these standards or risk loss of certification if it should fail.
“As a point of reference,” adds Newman, “in Italy in 2004, about 230 plants were operating - treating three million metric tons of organic wastes, and producing about 700,000 tons of compost.”
In 2005, CIC plans to work with other European groups on the definition of a Directive on Soil Strategy, which will try to establish soil protection objectives. First, explains Newman, it will ensure greater environ- mental protection through reducing levels of contaminants permitted in materials applied to soil. Second, and positively, it will act to improve organic content of soils in those areas, especially in southern Europe, where organic content is below one percent - rendering soils there close to desert conditions.

BRITISH COMPOSTING ASSOCIATION GIVES
“EXCELLENCE” AWARDS TO INDUSTRY LEADERS
Tony Breton - Communications Manager for the Composting Association in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom - e-mails to announce the recipients of the Association's awards that “showcase excellence and innovation across the composting industry.” Following is a summary of the winning entries:
Ecological Sciences - Jim Ballance Compost Marketing Award: Best complete marketing strategy highlighting targeted market research, key issues and how they are addressed through process management including certification, high level of direct contact with contractors and specifiers. Campaign by staff of Ecological Sciences resulted in increased new and repeat sales.
South Tyneside Council - Best Local Authority Initiative: Winning entry showed how 48,000 households were introduced to a “Kerb-it Green” Kerbside collection scheme (one of the biggest in the UK) within areas of low car ownership and high deprivation. Domestic waste recovery for the first six months of 2004/5 exceeded 25 percent. Much of the finished compost is used by the Council's parks and gardens contractor as well as in local community projects. “Truly holistic,” notes Breton.
East London Community Recycling Project (ELCRP) and London Borough of Hackney - Best Community Initiative: The ELCRP food waste collection system means that householders are not required to separate meat and fish from the rest of their organic residuals. Therefore, food waste is placed in the container rather than down a chute. A participation rate of 84 percent was achieved. ELCRP is a social enterprise operating a kitchen waste and cardboard collection and composting service for the high rise Nightingale Estate (357 flats) in Hackney. The vermin problem has all but disappeared. “By addressing a real problem, this initiative has made major improvements to the life of all those on the estate and will be rolled out to the whole estate - some 5,000 households, during 2005.”
Eco Diagnostics - Innovation in Composting Technology and Machinery Award: A low-cost solution to problems surrounding certain plant pathogens was provided. The lateral flow device (best known in pregnancy testing kits) enables composters and growing media suppliers to test for the presence/absence of economically important pathogens, on-site and with little training. Currently the only testing options available use PCR which is expensive, requires high levels of expertise, and equipment can be unreliable. Notes Breton: “This innovation should prove to be a major breakthrough for composters.”
Lancashire Waste Partnership (LWP) - The Partnership Award: LWP consists of 12 district authorities, two unitary authorities and the County Council. Traditionally, UK authorities provide services which affect each other (i.e., collection and disposal), but tend to work independently. “This is the first large-scale municipal partnership which has proven that the partnership approach is not only effective but can be most efficient in terms of resources,” he says. The project has delivered 45,000 free compost bins since August 2003, which have resulted in an average reduction in residual waste of 154 kg/year. Over the next year, LWP estimates that home composting should prevent 16,000 metric tons of waste being sent to the landfill in Lancashire, saving £500,000 in disposal costs/year. For additional information about the awards and the Composting Association, e-mail Tony Breton at: Tony@compost.org.uk or visit www.compost.org.uk.

OREGON WASTE RECOVERY RATE REACHES
RECORD 47.3 PERCENT, AS WASTE OUTPUT RISES
The 12th annual survey of garbage haulers, private recycling and composting companies by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality shows that both recovery and disposal in Oregon reached record levels for 2003. The recovery level of 1,219 pounds per person represents a new high for Oregon, and after credits for reuse and backyard composting, the state's official waste recovery rate stands at 47.3 percent, topping the 46.5 percent rate in 2002. Meanwhile, Oregon's solid waste generation continues to rise, hitting 4.95 million tons - or 2,798 pounds per Oregonian per year.
Major types of materials recovered for recycling and composting include paper, organic feedstocks (wood waste, yard debris and food residuals), metals, plastics, glass, used tires and used motor oil. Most significant in the increased recovery rate was the rise of more than 53,000 tons in paper recycling - reflecting the improved strength of secondary fiber markets and the growing number of mixed paper collection programs.
Wasteshed areas with the highest recovery rates include the Portland metro area at 56.9 percent, Marion County at 53 percent and Lane County at 51.9 percent. All counties are within reach of their 2005 goals, with no wasteshed falling 10 or more percentage points short. (Oregon law requires a statewide recovery rate of 45 percent for the calendar year 2005.) For more details about the 2003 DEQ survey results, contact Jay Donnaway, Solid Waste Policy Analyst, at (503) 229-6046.

ESTABLISHING A CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE COMPOSTING INDUSTRY
As part of its goal to improve the quality of composting in the United Kingdom, the Composting Association there has begun steps to develop an Industry Code of Practice working with the government's Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit (RIU). The voluntary code is meant to be a “clear and practical working document” which will identify good site management practices that protect human health, complement Standard Waste Management Licenses, relevant health and safety legislation, as well as animal by-products regulations.
The time frame for this work is short, announces the Composting Association (CA). A first draft for a key stakeholder consultation will be issued in late January 2005 for finalization by the end of February. Publication of the Code is reported to be by the end of March 2005. Says Jane Gilbert, the association's Chief Executive, about developing the Code of Practice: “It will greatly assist all organizations involved in the regulation and process of compost production by providing a benchmark from which everyone can operate.” Adds Chris Buxton of the Cabinet Office RIU: “In our experience, this kind of positive collaboration between industry and government always produces a better quality product.” For further information, visit www.compost.org.uk.

BLENDING ORGANIC RESIDUALS TO MAKE CLASS A SOIL BLENDS
west Biosolids Management Association (NBMA) last September, facility operators brought their Class A biosolids cake and a range of other residuals for a mixing workshop. The goal was to show how different feedstocks can be blended to make a product for use by home gardeners and to provide lessons in making Class A soil blends. Participants mixed sand, sawdust, hops waste, grape and apple pumice, wood ash, and bark with biosolids cake. Explains the NBMA newsletter about how the different residuals changed both the appearance and smell of the cake:
“Tacoma had a fluffy cake; the cake from Vancouver was much heavier; Centralia's lime stabilized cake had the consistency of crunchy peanut butter but didn't smell like peanut butter (had a strong ammonia smell) … The two winning mixes consisted of biosolids, sand, sawdust and ground bark.” For more information about NBMA, visit its website at www.nwbiosolids.org.

HIGH-TECH COMPANY TEAMS UP WITH CITY IN LANDFILL GAS COGEN PROJECT
A pioneer in drug delivery technology, the ALZA Corporation is partnering with the city of Mountain View, California to set up a gas pipeline from a closed city landfill directly to the company to supply electricity and hot water while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. To be completed by mid-march 2005, the pipeline system will be operational in September. The project will reduce emissions by 17.3 million pounds, equivalent to removing 1,500 cars off the road annually over the first 10 years. The $9 million methane powered system will be paid for by ALZA, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The company plans to sell the remaining electricity through the regional electrical power grid as well as support the goals of the Sustainable Silicon Value Initiative to reduce C02 generation to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2010.

RECYCLING COMPANY PARTNERS WITH YOGURT MAKER TO PRODUCE TOOTHBRUSHES
According to John Lively, operations manager for Recycline, Inc. based in Waltham, Massachusetts, its partnership with yogurt maker Stonyfield Farms has been working remarkably well. “We primarily use rejects from the plastic container production as feedstock to make handles for toothbrushes and razors,” Lively explains. About two cups go into each handle. Cups are shipped to processors which grind the plastic into pellets that are then converted into Recycline handles, etc.
Marketed under the Preserve brand, the products are marketed in more than 2,000 natural food stores nationwide and increasingly in supermarkets in the Northeast. Based on statistics from the American Dental Association, the average American replaces toothbrushes twice a year, accounting for approximately 50 million pounds of discards annually. So the 100 percent recyclable brand can make a significant impact.

REMOVING OBSTACLES TO USE OF BIOBASED PACKAGING IN GERMANY
A new German Packaging Ordinance supports introduction of bioplastics, specifically citing an amendment that exempts certified biobased packaging from some waste recovery systems. Notes a news release from the International Biodegradable Polymer Association Working Groups (IBAW), certified biobased packaging - after usage - may be recovered by composting. To a large degree, renewable resources, e.g. plastic starch or cellulose, are used to produce biobased packing. “These characteristics distinguish bioplastics from conventional petrochemically-based plastics,” notes IBAW. Compostable packaging is already in use in supermarkets in such countries as the Netherlands, Great Britain and Italy. Biobased packaging for fresh produce and other foods will soon make an entry into the German retail market. Current application potential is estimated to be 10 to 15 percent of the conventional plastics packaging market.

Copyright 2005, The JG Press, Inc.