On-site Composting Options for Concordia

Transcription

1 On-site Composting Options for Concordia This document provides equipment options for managing organic waste on-site at Concordia, based on the historical context and the targeted benefits of revitalizing such an initiative. On-site composting options are detailed for consideration, each of which can be combined with one another. All options would be complimented by off-site composting, due to capacity limits and restrictions on the types of organics they can compost, with the possible exception of option D. History and Status of Composting at Concordia Program Beginnings Educationally-oriented, academically-rooted Expansion Industrial Composter & widened community impact Capacity Limits A full composter reaches the end of its useful life Page 1 of 12 Concordia s composting program began as a Masters project on worm composting and a community education project, located at the Hall Building Rooftop Greenhouse. By 2008, Concordia had launched a first-of-its-kind program; a small-scale industrial composter was set up at at the Loyola campus with the ambition of increasing on-campus compost from 20 metric tonnes of organics to 100 metric tonnes per year. The Loyola composter served as a knowledge hub for many other institutions across North America. Additionally, many community members were provided with the opportunity and learning experience of composting on-campus, as Concordia steadily expanded collection points from pre-consumer kitchen locations, to postconsumer cafeteria locations, restaurants and cafes, atriums and lounges, and most recently, office kitchenettes. Finished compost was used for amendment of grounds, and donated to campus agriculture projects and off-site farms. The composter diverted an amount that plateaued at 80 metric tonnes per year by 2012, after which point it was determined that additional equipment, a shredder, would be required to increase the capacity of the machine. The shredder would work by decreasing the volume of the food and accelerating the biodegradation

2 process. In 2014, during the process of tendering for such equipment, the composter shell cracked due to sensitivity of the metal to corrosion. It was determined that even with repairs, future failure was likely. Also, because the cost was not much lower than purchasing a new composter, the institution began exploring alternative options. Current status Off-site composting and continued expansion Next steps Renewed On-site Composting Concordia continued to collect organics for composting, utilizing off-site composting collection services such as Compost MTL and later Matrec. The benefits of off-site composting became apparent, since there was no longer a capacity issue to resolve, as well as the allowance for composting bioplastics, meat and dairy (which cannot be done on-site unless strict conditions for temperature control are met). Despite the advantages of off-site composting, there has been a continued interest expressed by students and members of Facilities Management in revitalizing an on-site composting program with the objective of delivering a high quality compost output for use by campus farm projects and community groups, rather than focused on expanding capacity. This objective can be achieved through several scenarios, each which would be complimented by off-site composting as needed. Page 2 of 12

3 Options for On-site Composting Option A: Small composters Equipment Options Jora Canada provides inexpensive, small, metal, tumbler composters of varying volumetric capacity. Green Mountain Technologies provides a similar, rodent-proof system (Earth Cube) Capital Cost Model NE127: 434$ + 115$ (shipping) Model NE271: 519$ + 150$ (shipping) Model NE401: 699$ + 190$ (shipping) Earth Cube: 2,995$ (plus shipping) Operational Details The Jora composters are steel, rotating composters, hand-operated, that produce compost in 6 weeks. They contain two compartments one for composting and one for curing (maturation). The Earth Cube is a fork-liftable cube made of a plastic liner, with a higher capacity than the Jora units. It comes with a drill-operated auger for mixing organics. Composting time is advertised as 3-4 weeks, with 1-6 months for maturation. Page 3 of 12

4 Both models are designed to prevent rodent and insect access. Capacity Range Jora kg per week, 15kg/week, or 40kg/week. Green Mountain Tech Earth Cube 15-20kg/day Installation Requirements No strict site requirements. See websites for details: Jora Green Mountain Tech Earth Cube Potential Sites These small composters could be situated at one or more of these sites: Behind Hingston Hall Grey Nuns rear parking lot, near cafeteria and planters Hall 13th Floor (Concordia Greenhouse) Groups Responsible Operation - Groups operating the composters on a daily basis would likely be the campus agriculture groups: City Farm School Campus Potagers Concordia Greenhouse Oversight - The tumblers are easy to operate but benefit from periodic oversight by technical experts. Training and oversight services have been offered by Compost MTL, who have already provided his service for Jora units in the Plateau. This would ensure odor-free operation and high compost quality output. Materials Accepted Vegetable-based food waste Garden waste No meat products or dairy No compostable plastics Organics Source Due to the restriction of material types, sourcing must be locations that can separate food waste without meat or dairy. The Hive Cafés serve vegetarian food, making them an easy source, but are only open in fall and winter. A summer source would need to be identified. Hive Café LOY and SGW (fall and winter) GN Aramark Kitchen (fall and winter) Mixing Mechanism Jora Unit is rotated to mix organics. No shredding is provided Earth Cube An auger is provided which is powered by a handheld drill. Page 4 of 12

5 Odor Control Jora - Rotation of Jora provides some degree of odor control. Earth Cube Natural ventilation system draws air from inlet near floor. Optional solar-powered aeration system Biofilter at top of unit (woodchips) Leachate Capture Jora none. Earth Cube Leachate outlet near floor. Winterization Jora Thermal insulation is provided. Durability in winter conditions TBD. Earth Cube Heating and insulation systems are optional. Durability in winter conditions TBD. Models in operation The Jora models have been used extensively in the Plateau Mont-Royal, offered to residents expressing interest in composting who are not yet serviced by the collection program. The contents of the units freeze during the winter, though this might be preventable if placed in a cabin. The Earth Cube is used extensively by universities and community organizations in the US. Page 5 of 12

6 Option B: Medium-scale, hand and electric powered composter Equipment Options Capital Cost Operational Details Green Mountain Technologies manufacturers the Earth Tub, a mediumcapacity hand-powered composter 9,975$ (plus shipping) The Earth tub is a batch compost system that uses an electrically powered auger which is manually rotated about the tub using a rotating cover with protruding handles. 3 weeks are required to create compost. Compost must be cured outside of the unit for 30 days. Capacity Range 15-75kg/day Installation Requirements See website for detail. Potential Sites Behind Hingston Hall (Loyola City Farm School) Grey Nuns parking lot, near cafeteria and planters (Campus Potagers) Hall 13th Floor (Concordia Greenhouse) Groups Responsible This unit could be operated and technically supervised by the same groups mentioned in Scenario A: campus agriculture groups and Compost Montreal. An additional option is for the unit to be operated by Aramark employees or Facilities Management staff, given that the unit has capacity to handle the quantity of food waste generated from the GN or SC Page 6 of 12

7 kitchen and could be loaded on a daily basis. Materials Accepted Vegetable-based food waste Meat, dairy, or fatty foods must be under 10% of total Garden waste No compostable plastics Organics Source Since a certain quantity of meat and dairy could be allowed (with the right certification from the provincial government), the sourcing for this composter is more flexible than Scenario A. Hive Café LOY and SGW (fall and winter) GN and SC Aramark Kitchens (fall and winter) Cafes (all year) Office kitchenettes (all year) Mixing Mechanism Odor Control Leachate Capture A motorized mixing auger is rotated around the tub by turning the lid with attached handles. Motorized aeration system with biofilter. Leachate is captured and recirculated into system. Winterization Thermal insulation is provided Durability in winter conditions TBD Models in operation This model is used extensively by universities and community organizations in the US. 250 models have been sold. The company claims it is the most popular composter model of its size. Page 7 of 12

8 Option C: Indoor, medium-scale Automated Composter at Grey Nuns Equipment Options Capital Cost Operational Details Several companies provide indoor, small-scale automated composters. Of most interest are the models from Vertal (CityPOD), Mass Environmental (Rocket), and Jora (New Era 20T). CityPOD S: 42,400$ (plus shipping) Rocket: TBD New Era 20T: TBD These models are medium-capacity with motorized rotating drums or rotating shafts with blades (Rocket). CityPOD: Includes software based monitoring of temperatures and humidity Rocket: Includes a heating mechanism and thermostatic automation. New Era 20T: 3 button operation. 1 to start. 2 nd to move compost from one chamber to another. 3 rd to empty composter. Capacity Range CityPOD S: 325 kg/day Rocket A500: 40 kg/day Rocket A700: 100 kg/day Rocket A900: 250kg/day Rocket A1200: 500 kg/day New Era 20T: TBD Page 8 of 12

9 Installation Requirements See websites for details CityPOD S Rocket Composters New Era 20T Potential Sites Space has been evaluated by members of Facilities planning in Grey Nuns, and although there is more feasibility work to do, an indoor composter seems feasible in an existing space. An outdoor shed could be built if the space was not sufficient. A model could also be installed at the former LOY composter site, or the SC parking lot (to be evaluated). Groups Responsible Operation - Aramark or Facilities Mgmt employees would be responsible for placing food and wood pellets into the composter, operating the turning button, and possibly emptying out the finished product into buckets if the catch container was full. Oversight - Compost Montreal or other compost experts would provide once per week oversight, or on an as-needed basis, to ensure that odors are controlled and that compost quality is controlled. Materials Accepted Vegetable-based food waste Garden waste No meat products or dairy No compostable plastics Organics Source Hive Café LOY GN or SC Aramark Kitchen Mixing Mechanism Odor Control Leachate Capture Winterization CityPOD: Rotating cylinder Rocket: Rotating internal shaft with blades New Era 20T: Rotating cylinder with shredder at input CityPOD: Odour control mist Rocket: None, though mixing blades will reduce odor generation. New Era 20T: None, though shredder at inlet will reduce some odors. CityPOD: None Rocket: None New Era 20T: None CityPOD: None Rocket: Thermostatically controlled heater New Era 20T: None Page 9 of 12

10 Models in operation An operational demonstration of the Vertal CityPOD model was seen by members of Aramark, Hospitality, and EHS at a community center in Brossard. Rocket models are used by Aramark cafeterias at other universities in the US. A previous model of the New Era 20T is used at College Saint Louis. Page 10 of 12

11 Option D: Outdoor, Medium-scale, Automated Composter at GN or LOY Equipment Options On the larger end of the spectrum, Green Mountain Technologies offers an medium-scale, in-vessel system, the Intermodal Earth Flow. Capital Cost 48,000$ Operational Details This model is considered to be one of the most cost effective solutions at this size, due to its simple design and ease of transport (the composter is built in to a shipping container). It also solves one of the key issues of quality control it aerates the compost effectively compared to simple tumbling systems with its auger mixing system. Capacity Range Installation Requirements Potential Sites Groups Responsible Can process up to 1.5 tonnes per day. This would be a similar capacity or larger than the previous composter at Loyola, provided by AgriBrome. See website for details LOY PS Parking Lot Operation - Facilities Mgmt employees would be responsible for placing food and wood pellets into the composter, operating the turning button, and possibly emptying out the finished product into buckets if the catch container was full. Oversight - Compost Montreal or other compost experts would provide once per week oversight, or on an as-needed basis, to ensure that odors are controlled and that compost quality is controlled. Page 11 of 12

12 Materials Accepted Vegetable-based food waste Garden waste Meat products or dairy Some compostable plastic ok No compostable plastic bags Organics Source Pre-consumer source (cafeterias, restaurants) Mixing Mechanism Odor Control Leachate Capture Winterization Models in operation Inclined auger on a track moves across container Positive aeration system None Insulated and stainless steel container TBD Page 12 of 12