Green Waste Recycling Facilities
Americans are becoming more knowledgeable about recycling glass, paper and metals but mounds of organic waste still dump into landfills each day. Eleven companies around the country are recycling hundreds of tons of this refuse each day. These conservation pioneers are decreasing the size of our landfills by making composts that are useful in farming and ecological preservation efforts.
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Organic Waste
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Organic waste, also called "biowaste", is food residue and other organic refuse such as wood and lawn clippings. These wastes traditionally go to landfills where they serve no benefit and create more waste volume. Z-Best, one of America's pioneer biowaste recycling plants, claims that 21.5 million tons of food waste alone is generated each year in America. It reports that if all the food waste alone were recycled we would reduce greenhouse gases by the amount produced by 2 million cars. Composting this waste turns it into beneficial product and decreases landfill volumes.
Composting Biowaste
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Composting biosolids involves specialized methods of sorting wastes, on conveyor lines to separate usable biomass from other waste products such as plastic and metal. The organic waste then goes to compost. Farmers buy the resulting compost as well as parks and recreation departments, construction companies and conservation agencies, where it enriches soils and prevents erosion. Composts are sorted according to their future use. Farmers require high quality composts that allow them to meet ORMI standards. Lower quality composts can go to projects that do not involve food production.
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Gas From Organic Waste
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Dry fermentation involves using anaerobic digestion of waste to produce biogas. Recyclers separate the waste and place it in air-tight tunnels where it is heated. After heating, the material undergoes a 21-day anaerobic digestion period which produces biogas. The types of waste composted determine the amount of fuel generated by this process. The first dry fermentation plant (Z-Best) in the US was to be operational in San Jose County, California, around November 2011. The power generated will power it recycling facilities. The facility will ultimately convert 150,000 tons of organic waste per year into fuel. The company will be a model used to build other fuel producing facilities around the country.
Problems & Solutions
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Problems of organic waste recovery include finding funding for equipment that helps to better sort trash. Better equipment results in compost with fewer adulterating substances such as plastic. Odor is a problem that led to a lawsuit that shut down one facility. Odor control methods such as filters and waste containment can stop offensive odors from seeping into communities but these resources rely on funding.
Public education about organic waste recovery helps increase the amount of pre-sorted waste received in the plants, increasing percentages of recovery. More education is needed to show businesses and communities how to sort trash to facilitate its use for the benefit of society.
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References
- Green Waste: Recycling Stats
- Green Waste: Zero Tolerance for Waste; Lisa Gibson; October 2010
- Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives: Getting it right to drive organics from landfills to material recycling: Contribution from GAIA to the biowaste consultation of the European Commission
- Zanker Recycling: BioCycle; Mixed Waste Composting Facilities Review; Dan Sullivan; November 2010
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