Best Management Practices Series for Composting

7 Food WasteDiversion & Utilization

This

is

Part

7

in

the

Best

Management

Practices

Series,

providing

technical

assistance

in

the

operation

and

management

of

yard

waste

composting

sites

that

are

including

food

waste

in

their

operations.

Each

set

of

Best

Management

Practices

(or

“BMPs”)

is

designed

to

improve

the

success

and

viability

of

composting

operations,

with

an

overall

goal

of

eliminating

odor

problems

and

producing

quality

compost

products.

Introduction

Adding

food

waste

to

a

composting

operation

is

an

excellent

way

to

increase

the

volume

and

nutrient

quality

of

the

end

product.

As

such,

it

may

also

increase

your

customer

base,

contributing

positively

to

the

bottom

line.

However,

the

added

expense

of

additional

processing

and

the

higher

potential

for

odor

incidents

may

be

preventing

you

from

taking

that

step.

This

BMP

focuses

on

the

impacts

of

composting

food

waste

or,

more

specifically,

adding

food

waste

to

an

already

successful

yard

waste

composting

operation.

Concepts

covered

include:

assessing

needed

capacity;

capabilities

and

the

potential

cost

of

adding

food

waste

to

operations;

maintaining

low

odor

operations;

and

characterizing,

collecting

and

processing

food

waste.

Practical

tips

are

provided

to

achieve

the

best

return

on

processing

food

waste.

BenefitsCharacterizing Food WasteMaking Food WasteCompostRegulationsWorking with GeneratorsWorking with HaulersOn-site CompostingAnaerobic DigestersReferences

Page 2Page 4Page 6Page 8Page 9Page 12Page 13Page 14Page 16

Food Waste Diversion & Utilization: Best Management Practices for Composting p. 1

Benefits

Food

waste

comprises

the

single

largest

component

of

the

waste

stream

by

weight.

Michigan

residents

throw

away

more

than

one

‐

quarter

of

all

their

prepared

food,

accounting

for

approximately

96

billion

pounds

of

food

waste

each

year.

Food

waste

includes

preparation

waste

and

scraps,

as

well

as

uneaten

food

from

households,

commercial,

institutions

(i.e.

school

cafeterias),

and

industrial

sources

such

as

food

processors.

Nationally,

we

spend

about

1

billion

dollars

each

year

to

dispose

of

food

waste.

Restaurants,

grocery

stores,

schools,

prisons,

and

other

facilities

can

benefit

in

many

ways

from

composting

food

scraps

and

leftover

food,

whether

it

is

done

on

‐

site

or

at

a

compost

facility.

Food

items

‐‐

such

as

spoiled

fruits

and

vegetables,

stale

bakery

items,

kitchen

prep

trimmings,

and

leftover

plate

scrapings

‐‐

can

be

diverted

from

landfills

and

composted

into

a

beneficial

soil

amendment.

Redistributing

excess

food

to

charities

or

offering

it

as

animal

feed,

followed

by

composting

the

inedible

remainders,

reduces

garbage

collection

and

disposal

costs.

By

separating

food

waste,

businesses

can

also

inventory

the

excess

food

prepared

and

implement

a

variety

of

source

reduction

practices

to

ultimately

lower

expenses.

Separating

food

waste

from

other

types

of

waste

also

reduces

issues

associated

with

insects

and

vermin

in

or

near

dumpsters.

The Food Waste Hierarchy

Following

the

lead

of

the

solid

waste

management

hierarchy,

the

EPA

offers

a

recovery

hierarchy

to

promote

the

productive

use

of

excess

food

and

food

residuals.

The

food

waste

recovery

hierarchy

comprises

the

following

activities,

with

disposal

in

a

landfill

as

the

final

option:

1

•

Source Reduction

–

Reduce

the

volume

of

food

waste

generated

•

Feed People

–

Donate

extra

food

to

food

banks,

soup

kitchens

and

shelters

•

Feed Animals

–

Provide

food

to

farmers

for

animal

feed

•

Industrial Uses

–

Provide

fats

for

rendering,

biofuel

and

food

discards

for

animal

feed

production

•

Composting/Digesting

–

Convert

food

scraps

into

a

nutrient

rich

soil

amendment.

Source:

U.S.

EPA

Food Waste Diversion & Utilization: Best Management Practices for Composting p. 2

Food Waste Utilization

2

Food

waste

is

generally

very

moist,

causing

it

to

have

a

low

BTU

value

and

making

it

an

undesirable

feedstock

for

incinerators.

Disposal

in

a

landfill

is

also

not

optimal,

for

a

variety

of

reasons:

tipping

fees,

the

need

to

conserve

landfill

space

for

non

‐

recyclable

and/or

non

‐

compostable

materials,

and

reduction

in

the

efficiency

of

potential

landfill

gas

recovery.

Following

are

some

significant

issues

regarding

food

waste,

which

can

be

addressed

through

diversion

to

composting:

•

Environmental Concerns

Food

waste

recovery

has

a

huge

impact

on

global

climate

change.

Diverting

organic

materials

from

landfills

reduces

leachate

and

reduces

anaerobic

decomposition

that

releases

methane

gas

into

the

atmosphere;

with

composting

it

becomes

carbon

dioxide

instead,

while

providing

nutrients

for

soil.

Food

waste

composting

provides

another

tactic

for

recycling

food

‐

contaminated

paper

and

waxed

corrugated

cardboard

that

cannot

be

recycled

using

conventional

methods.

•

Food Waste Benefits to Composting

Food

waste

is

high

in

nitrogen

and

speeds

up

the

decomposition

process

of

compost.

Adding

food

waste

to

yard

waste

for

composting

will

reduce

water

needs

throughout

the

process

and

increase

the

nutrient

content

of

the

finished

product.

Once

composted,

food

wastes

contribute

to

the

overall

beneficial

characteristics

of

compost

as

a

soil

amendment

and

nutrient

additive.

•

Economic Savings

Food

waste

utilization

provides

a

demonstrable

reduction

in

solid

waste

disposal

costs.

Additionally,

finished

compost

reduces

the

cost

of

fertilizers

and

other

soil

amendments.

•

Horticultural Benefits

Composting

produces

a

rich

organic

amendment

for

dry,

infertile

soil.

Bacteria

and

organisms

in

compost

build

and

improve

soil

structure,

and

mature

compost

provides

nutrients

and

microorganisms

essential

for

plant

growth.

Compost

also

increases

water

retention

and

decreases

irrigation

requirements.

•

Builds a Positive Image

Employees

report

favorably

about

food

waste

collection

programs,

and

utilization

addresses

an

increasing

public

concern

for

environmental

quality.

Carbon Offsets

3

There

has

always

been

a

connection

between

composting

and

global

climate

change.

But

now,

carbon

credit

and

offset

market

advances

strengthen

and

monetize

the

connection

directly.

In

most

cases

the

recovery

of

household

organics

(HHO)

directly

reduces

the

creation

of

methane

(and

its

emission)

into

the

atmosphere.

The

methane

created

in

a

landfill

from

HHO

is

23

times

as

potent

as

the

same

carbon

atoms

made

into

carbon

dioxide.

Therefore,

composting

organic

materials

rather

then

allowing

them

to

create

methane

offsets

the

“business

as

usual”

case

of

landfilling

organics.

The

establishment

of

a

voluntary

market

for

carbon

credits

and

offsets

in

Chicago,

called

the

Chicago

Climate

Exchange

(CCX),

is

one

structure

that

enables

HHO

recovery

programs

to

identify,

quantify

and

monetize

carbon

offsets.

Food Waste Diversion & Utilization: Best Management Practices for Composting p. 3

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