Barriers To Food Residuals Composting In The Northeast

Transcription

1 Barriers To Food Residuals Composting In The Northeast Northeast Recycling Council Fall Conference October 17, 2007 Nora Goldstein BioCycle

2 Presentation Roadmap What are the critical barriers? Food Waste. A disclaimer Bit of Background Opportunities Key components to establishing programs in Northeast Tools Trends to Watch

3 Critical Barriers Infrastructure Appropriate Sites Service Providers Regulatory and Permitting Hesitation Lack of Public Policies Solid Waste Realities Plastic

4 What Are Not Barriers Compost Markets Odor Management Training Generators To Source Separate

5 What Are We Dealing With?

6 What Are We Dealing With? Food waste, by weight, is one of biggest categories in waste composition studies Food waste is highly putrescible, i.e., it DOES NOT degrade gracefully Food waste in landfill is greenhouse gas contributor Separation, materials handling, collection methods are key to successful diversion These feedstocks have high energy value Compost has high soil & water value Need to design for diversion

7 Restaurants Full Service Generate 4,400 lbs waste/yr/employee (after recycling) 66% are food scraps 5% compostable paper 6% plastics Fast Food 4,250 lbs. waste/yr/employee (after recycling) 52% food scraps 12% compostable paper 10% plastics Source: Cascadia Consulting Group

8 Other Outlets Grocery Stores Generate 4,750 lbs waste/yr/employee (after recycling) 65% food scraps 6% compostable paper 8% plastics Large Hotels 3,900 lbs. waste/yr/employee (after recycling) 44% food scraps 7% compostable paper 5% plastics Source: Cascadia Consulting Group

9 SOLID WASTE REALITIES Landfill Capacity Remaining In Region 3 States (Total Tons) Connecticut 150,000 cubic yards; No (65% WTE) Delaware 60 million; Yes Maine 5.5 million cubic yards; Yes Massachusetts 2.4 million tons; No New Hampshire n/a; No New Jersey 38 million; No Pennsylvania 279 million; No Rhode Island 6.3 million tons; n/a Vermont 850,000 cubic yards; Yes BioCycle, 2006, The State of Garbage In America

10 Yard Trimmings Composting Sites: 3,474 in U.S. (2004) BioCycle, 2006, The State of Garbage In America

11 Regulator Hesitation Upgrading appropriate yard trimmings sites to receive SSO? Sites are in neighborhoods near homes. Could be problems with increased truck traffic Sites are minimally designed, e.g., unlined Rules for yard trimmings site are minimal Yard waste composting is a two decade old success and popular with the public. I hate to see that boat rocked by bringing in paper, dog waste, spoiled food etc.

12 Delaware County, NY

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14 WeCare Environmental Marlborough, MA

15 McEnroe Farms Millerton, NY

16 Ag Choice, Andover, NJ

17 Rocky Hill Farms Saugus, MA

18 Yard trimming site taking SSO Technology Innovations

19 Positive Public Policies

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22 Separation And Collection Commercial, Institutional, Residential

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25 Designing For Diversion

26 Compostable Products

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29 City and County of San Francisco, California

30 King County, Washington

31 One Million-Plus Households Serviced

32 Dufferin Transfer Station Toronto, Ontario

33 Photo courtesy of EBMUD Food Waste Delivery

34 Leftovers To Lights High Solids Anaerobic Digester at University of California, Davis

35 Photo courtesy of Onsite Power Systems

36 Scenic View Dairy Fennville, MI

37 Fepro Farms Cobden, Ontario

38 Traditional Stakeholder Interactions You and your project Citizens / Public Regulatory / Permitting

39 Outrage Factors (Perceived) RISK = HAZARD + OUTRAGE After P. Sandman, D. Powell

40 Outrage Factors* (Think of how many of these apply to odor incidents) HIGH OUTRAGE Involuntary Artificial/Industrial Exotic Hard to understand Memorable Dreaded Not reversible Unknowable / Uncertainty Closed process Unfair Closed process LOW OUTRAGE Voluntary Natural Familiar Well understood Not memorable Not dreaded Reversible Knowable / Well-known Open process Fair Open process * Courtesy of Peter Sandman and Vincent Covello, with interpretation by Mary McDaniel, and Barry Connell.

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44 Thank You!! Nora Goldstein