REGIONAL ROUNDUP

BioCycle September 2003, Vol. 44, No. 9, p. 18

Portland, Oregon
RISK OF BSE IN FOOD RESIDUALS COMPOST IS “REMOTE”
According to a report recently completed for the city of Portland, “it is extremely unlikely that BSE will be transmitted by composting food residuals in the U.S.” Portland, which is embarking on an ambitious

food residuals diversion program, commissioned the report to determine whether its food residuals composting program presented a potential risk of spreading BSE to cattle or to humans (e.g. composting facility workers, compost users). The report, which was complied and written by Robert Rynk of BioCycle, was based on a review of available literature and consultations with experts.
BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) is also known as mad cow disease. It is a relatively new disease that primarily affects cattle, causing a characteristic loss of brain function, erratic behavior and eventual death. BSE can also cause a corresponding disease in humans - variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease or vCJD. Both BSE and vCJD belong to a general group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Other TSE diseases include scrapie, which affects sheep and goats, and chronic wasting disease (CWD), which occurs in deer and elk. Although health experts are still uncertain about the cause of TSE diseases, the prevailing theory is that the infectious agent is an abnormal form of a type of protein, known as “prions.”
According to the theory, TSE prions have an aberrant shape (i.e. conformation) which causes normal prions to also deform in the same manner. Thus the disease spreads and produces sponge-like holes in the brains of infected animals. Prions, or whatever agents cause BSE, are unusually resistant to destruction. Infected material remains infected after cooking, rendering and long periods of incubation in the soil. BSE has occurred primarily in the United Kingdom (UK) and to a much lesser degree in other European countries. It has not been discovered in the U.S. Recently a single case was discovered in Alberta but it appears to be an isolated case. While scrapie and CWD are present in the U.S., they have not been shown to affect humans, unlike BSE.
A substantial portion of the Portland report is devoted to two quantitative risk assessments that concern BSE. One of these risk assessments was conducted to evaluate the risks of spreading BSE (and other pathogenic diseases) via composting of “catering wastes” (i.e. food residuals) in the UK. This study found the risks to be “remote.” Although the UK is the country where BSE is most prevalent, compared to the U.S., there are more controls in place for keeping the disease from entering the food system, and hence the food residuals stream. Therefore, this risk assessment does not fully represent the risks in the U.S. The second risk assessment was conducted for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to evaluate the risk of BSE proliferating in the U.S. if it arrives here. This study found that the controls currently in place (e.g. surveillance of meat and cattle, feed restrictions) would prevent the disease from establishing itself here. As the Portland report states, “The combined conclusions of these two risk assessments suggest that it is extremely unlikely that BSE will be transmitted by composting food residuals in the U.S.” The report emphasizes that BSE is not known to exist in the U.S.
An article based on the Portland report is being prepared for an upcoming issue of BioCycle. For additional information concerning the report or Portland's food residuals diversion program, contact Judy Crockett at the Portland Office of Sustainable Development, jcrockett@ci.portland.or.us.

King County, Washington
NEW STRATEGIC PLANNING GROUP SET UP IN SOLID WASTE DIVISION
“I have been assigned to a new 'strategic planning group' in King County's Solid Waste Division which includes bringing recycling issues into broader division planning,” writes Josh Marx who for the past five years has helped lead the county's highly successful organics programs that have included the nationally recognized Soils for Salmon project. The county is also in the midst of residential food residuals collection pilots in four suburban cities (with three set to go full-scale soon). As part of his new assignment, Marx will develop a strategy for paper which comprises nearly 20 percent of the waste stream, and ensure that green building practices and zero waste goals are fully implemented in the division's facilities planning processes. He can be contacted at josh.marx@metrokc.gov.

Bowdoin, Maine
18,000 TONS OF SCRAP TIRES USED ON TURNPIKE INTERCHANGE PROJECT
“The idea of using scrap tires for highway road construction is a proven technology for us,” says Mike Parker of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Maine's most recent project started last fall when the state announced plans to use shredded tires on the Turnpike Authority's interchange in Sabattus. This spring, officials worked with Recovery Technologies Group, Inc. which shredded approximately two million tires from the stockpile in Bowdoin into six-inch chips that were used as a roadbed base, replacing crushed rock. The Bowdoin site is estimated to have another million tires for future use. “Another plus is that the site is only ten miles from the interchange,” adds Parker. According to him, the state has cleared four of its largest tire piles in the last several years. Beneficial reuse methods used in Maine for shredded scrap tires include other civil engineering projects, landfill construction and industrial fuel.

Schodack, New York
DAIRY FARM DIGESTER LOWERS MANURE MANAGEMENT COSTS
Last month, at the Swartz Farm in upstate New York, the “Feasible Farm Digestion Project” demonstrated a methane digester system described as “feasible for smaller dairy farms.” Set up in the manure storage pit, the system will use biogas to power a generator, potentially producing sufficient electricity for the farm. The project received $105,720 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) - an organization with a long track record of assisting organics recycling.
According to Steve Hoyt of the Dubara company, who designed and patented the digester system, most digesters have been too expensive - generally costing $250,000 to $500,000 depending upon farm size. “Our system can cost as little as one-third as much,” says Hoyt, “since it uses an existing manure pit or lagoon instead of building a separate digester tank out of concrete. Methane production is induced in the pit or lagoon using a patented bacterial seeding process, and the gas is captured with a simple cover.” Hoyt can be contacted at: steven@albany.net.

Marysville, Washington
COMPOST AND “GREEN-TAGGED” ELECTRICITY FROM REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP
The Snohomish Basin Biogas Partnership has been created by a coalition of groups - the Tulalip Tribes, the Lower Skykomish River Habitat Conservation Group, Northwest Chinook Recovery and the Washington State Dairy Federation. Over the last year, the groups in the partnership have been working to find cooperative strategies to preserve the agricultural heritage of the region and to restore salmon runs. Under the plan, a biogas, facility would be developed at the dairy farm at the Monroe Reformatory - converting waste from local dairies into “green energy” and marketable compost. A second part of the initiative, reports a Capital Press article, will identify important salmon spawning and off-channel habitat.
“For too long, farmers and tribes have been at loggerheads,” commented Herman Williams, Jr., the chairman of the Tulalip Tribes. “We are opening a new chapter in our relationships.” Added Andy Werkhoven, a fourth-generation dairy farmer: “The significance of these steps should not be underestimated. The tribes are not going anywhere, and we are determined to make sure that dairy farming remains an important part of Snohomish County's economy and culture.” As part of their anaerobic digestion preparations, the Partnership representatives toured a biogas facility in Chino, California that uses dairy manure as a feedstock.

Boulder County, Colorado
LOCAL INITIATIVES TOWARD ZERO WASTE ARE FEATURED
The latest issue of Eco-Cycle Times illustrates how zero waste policies and strategies are being implemented in Boulder County by local companies. Eric Lombardi, executive director of Eco-Cycle, terms the transition of recycling from an individual “at home” practice to protect the environment to “the next phase” as the world of business moves ahead. As model examples, the following are cited: Boulder Co-op Market - Beyond recycling everything possible through the Eco-Cycle Collection Service, the Co-op takes the hard to-recycle materials like styrofoam pellets to local mailing centers, composts unsold food residuals at nearby composting sites, and works with vendors to reuse packaging. Its building made use of recycled construction supplies, solar panels and energy-efficient lighting; Daily Camera - Producer responsibility is a major thrust at this store which recycles 90 to 95 percent of all paper and is the first commercial sponsor of the Eco-Cycle/Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (ChaRM). Boulder Community Hospital - The hospital is demonstrating that a Zero Waste Hospital is possible by taking an aggressive approach to recycling computers, monitors and other electronics - diverting 4.5 tons of obsolete electronics last year.

Clark County, Washington
RECYCLEMAN AND THE DUMPSTER DIVERS SING THEIR WASTE REDUCTION MESSAGE TO STUDENTS AND ADULTS
Since 1994, Peter DuBois - a waste reduction specialist with Clark County Public Works - has been using an innovative approach to get his message across to students and adults in the region. Dressed as Recycleman and accompanied by his band, the Dumpster Divers, they perform their own songs that cover: Making recycling fun (“Milk Jug Stomp,” “Buy Recycled Today,”); Hazardous waste (Oil and Water Don't Mix”); and Organic decomposition (“Yard Debris,” “Compost.”) Recycleman comes to performances dressed in an old truck tire inner tube kilt adorned with crushed aluminum cans, an old mannequin piece for a chest, a belt made of old door stoppers and a flowing cape fashioned out of rice bags and cloth scraps. “Our show is about enabling people to learn about this stuff,” DuBois says. “We try to provide them with things to think about that they may not have considered before, and also to facilitate the learning process by associating environmental education with rock music. Folks are usually moved by the music.” Recycleman and the Dumpster Divers have different variations on their shows, depending on whether they are playing for elementary, middle school, or high school audiences.
For details on the program and also availability of tapes and CDs (such as “Out of the Dumps” and “The Waste Band”) visit: www.recycleman.com. DuBois and colleagues are working on a comic book that should be out by winter and a ten song CD - Recycleman and the Dumpster Divers - that should be available in time for America Recycles Day. DuBois can be contacted via e-mail at: pete.dubois@clark.wa.gov.

Santa Monica, California
FIRST WORLDWIDE ORGANIC WINE TASTING TO BE HELD
Vinters from France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Russia and the U.S. will be traveling to Santa Monica, California for the first worldwide organic wine tasting event, reports the Wine Spectator. Notes Cal Kuska, whose international consulting firm specializes in composting (and who also publishes an electronic newsletter called Composting Age): “For years, vintners who touted their wines as organic were, from a marketing perspective, shooting themselves in the foot. To many wine consumers and restaurants, the word 'organic' implied sacrificing flavor and quality for the welfare of the environment.” But no more! Today, leading brands such as Fetzer, Kendall Jackson, Frog's Leaf and many others successfully market their organic lines. Kuska can be contacted at:composting age@msn.com.

East Providence, Rhode Island
LESS WASTEFUL APPROACHES TO RECYCLING C&D DEBRIS
Like a number of other C&D recyclers, Pondview Recycling of East Providence began as an excavation contractor, eventually expanding into renting and hauling rolloff refuse containers. It wasn't long before company founder and President Ken Foley became aware of the need for a less wasteful approach to handling C&D debris. “We would see all of this metal and clean wood going up to the landfill, which was crazy. So we started pulling it out and separating it ourselves in our garage, until we found out that was illegal.” Seeing an opportunity, the firm applied for and received the necessary state permit to become a C&D recycler. Starting small and gradually developing the business, the company now has a 500-ton per day waste-handling permit, with wood representing 50 to 60 percent of its waste stream. “Just the demolition wood we process amounts to 75 tons per day,” Foley notes. After weighing, incoming truckloads of C&D waste are dumped on a concrete picking-pad, where large items are removed, including concrete, steel beams, sheet plastic and wooden beams. To process incoming C&D material, Pondview uses two screens, fed by side-by-side processing lines. With its system, Pondview is able to recycle up to 92 percent of the incoming C&D debris. Scrap metal is trucked to Metals Recycling in Providence. Pondview crunches concrete and bricks to one-inch size, which is sold to road builders as base material.
Untreated wood is ground into chips of three inches and under using a tub grinder, fed with a front-end loader. The chips are shipped to Maine for use as power-plant fuel. (The state of Maine has banned the use of treated wood as fuel). “We have a very clean chip,” Foley says. “They are paying us $5 a ton for chips of three inches and smaller. There's a big demand for wood fuel. They need the dry, C&D wood to keep the BTUs up there. We have a wood buyer who encourages us to grind as much wood as we can.” With natural gas prices soaring to new highs, the wood fuel market should remain strong.

Fountain Valley, California
ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT IS FIRST CERTIFIED BIOSOLIDS EMS
The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) is the first public wastewater agency in the U.S. to receive national certification of its Environmental Management System (EMS) for biosolids. The certification program was developed by the National Biosolids Partnership (NBP), in cooperation with U.S. EPA, the Water Environment Federation and the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies. The biosolids EMS covers OCSD's biosolids management practices at each point critical in the process of generation, separation and processing of solids, as well as storage and handling of biosolids, including activities performed by the district and its vendors. This includes practices at the two wastewater treatment plants and all biosolids recycling programs. (See “Developing An EMS,” May 2001 for background on OCSD's EMS.)
To receive the certification, third party verification of OCSD's EMS was conducted by Kema - Registered Quality Inc.; Kema's auditors received training from the NBP. Auditors reviewed EMS documents and actual operations in terms of its compliance with EMS controls. Examples of critical control points include: Verify the plant odor control system and public complaint log; Inspect the temperature controls at the digesters and verify, among other things, the time, temperature, and volatile solids destruction at each digester; Observe the system to track the hauling of biosolids to end use sites. “The Environmental Management System is a modern management approach based on continuous improvement and environmentally sustainable practices,” says Blake Anderson, OCSD's general manager.
More information on OCSD's EMS can be found at www.ocsd.com. For information on the National Biosolids Partnership's EMS program, go to www.biosolids.org (also see “National Biosolids Partnership EMS Update,” May 2001).

Moses Lake, Washington
WEB “STORE” FOR BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTS
Simply Biodegradable LLC, based near Spokane, Washington, distributes a wide variety of biodegradable dishware, utensils, cups and bags. The company was started by Brad Price, who formerly worked for a manufacturer of biodegradable plastic products. “Right now, I am trying to keep prices low by selling via a website (www.simplybiodegradable.com) rather than having a retail store,” says Price. “We represent a bunch of manufacturers around the world, calling ourselves a one-stop shop.” Items include dishware made from sugarcane, reed and wood pulp, NatureWorks PLA cold drink cups and lids and BioBag bags and film. Another new item - which is not biodegradable, but is definitely related - is the SuperLizzy, a food service waste compactor that extracts liquids from food residuals, reducing moisture content to about five percent.
On another biodegradable plastic front, the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) recently awarded its “Compostable Logo” to W. Ralston's Biosak New Generation Plastic line of kitchen and garden waste bags. The BPI logo program signifies that the product meets the ASTM D6400-99 “Specification for Compostable Plastics.” W. Ralston has manufacturing facilities in Brampton, Ontario and Drumheller, Alberta. The Biosak bags are made with Novamont's Mater-Bi biodegradable resins. For a list of other biodegradable products with the BPI logo, go to www.bpiworld.org.

Copyright 2003, The JG Press, Inc.