Attention Businesses: Now you can reduce your garbage bill AND conserve resources

Background

In 1996, Sonoma County Waste Management Agency (SCWMA) conducted a study of our county’s solid waste. The results indicated 42.8% of the Sonoma County commercial waste stream is compostable and includes 13.7% commercial food scraps. For food related businesses, however, this can mean a higher proportion - generally between 40 and 60% - of their total waste is food scraps.

The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) received a grant in 1997 from SCWMA to do a pilot study on the feasibility of composting food waste on-site at various events, institutions and businesses. This project involved leasing a Green Mountain Technologies Earth Tub, an in-vessel (completely enclosed) compost system, for one year. During that time, the Earth Tub composted food waste and soiled paper from:

• ‘97 & ‘98 4H Chickenque - fund raising event serving 14,000 meals

• Mistral Restaurant’s kitchen prep material and leftovers - approximately 1,600 pounds during six week period

• Santa Rosa Junior College’s cafeteria - prep and leftover food from kitchen - approximately 1600 pounds during five week period

• Food For Thought grocery store - produce scraps, coffee grounds, and carrot pulp - approximately 2,000 pounds during 2 month period

• Cotati Earth Day Festival

 As a result of this pilot study, UCCE determined there is the potential for these types of businesses to save money on their garbage bills. What a business pays for waste hauling fees determines how quickly it will recoup the cost of purchasing and maintaining a composting system. For example: if a restaurant’s disposal fees are approximately $4,800 per year and it diverts half of its waste from the landfill, the system could pay for itself in about 2-3 years (GMT Earth Tub cost is $6,500).
 
 
To reach the state mandated goal of 50% waste reduction by the year 2000, food waste diversion is an obvious choice

Types of Businesses benefiting from food waste recovery:

• Grocery stores

• School cafeterias

• Hospitals

• Large businesses with eating facilities on site,

• Prisons

• Restaurants

• Caterers

• Bakeries

• Processed food manufacturers (frozen foods, coffee co., etc.)

• Wineries - pomace, diatomaceous earth, prunings


Benefitsfrom diverting food waste:

• Customers like patronizing “green businesses”

• Employees like to know that they are making a difference

• Potential savings on disposal costs

• Compost used for landscaping; incentive for employees

• Diverting material from landfill

• Using compost = increased water retention by soil, improved soil structure, healthier plants

• Conserve natural resources

• Reduce waste

 Things to consider: • In-vessel composting is an evolving technology - not carefree

• Time required to maintain - 1 1/2 to 3 hours/week

• Space for equipment, bulking agents such as sawdust, wood chips, shredded paper, cardboard which need to be added periodically

• Hook up requirements include drainage, electric, and possibly water

• removal and use of finished compost

• GMT’s Earth Tub averages on time it takes to fill a 3 cu. yd tub:

lbs/day                    time to fill tub *

40                               4 months

50                               3 1/2 months

100                             2+ months

150                             1 1/2 months

* User can empty half contents and store in bags, and continue using tub, or use two or more bins based on their needs
Consider, as is now being discussed in Portland Oregon, that mandatory food waste recovery may be the next step in achieving landfill diversion goals.

Potential solutions:

As businesses vary, so do solutions for food scraps and food soiled paper. Here are some possibilities:

• Waste prevention - look at purchasing practices, product handling & storage, food prep & storage

• Food donation to charitable organizations including food banks

• Pick up by farmers for use as feed stock for livestock

• Compost on site in “in-vessel” compost bins (completely enclosed systems - to control odors and unwanted animals or insects)

• Pick up and transport to central composting site for windrow composting and vermicomposting (using earthworms - creates higher quality end product) - useful for businesses who don’t have space for in-vessel system on site

• Cooperative efforts: 2-3 food related businesses utilize in-vessel system cooperatively (share cost, labor and compost); farmers working with grocery stores, institutions, dairies to compost material and create valuable product. Independent technician could maintain and clean out in-vessel container.

• Options for small businesses:

• Save food scraps and take to local farm for composting or take home for composting

• Purchase home compost type bin or worm bins

 Users of finished compost include: • Agriculture
• Commercial landscapers
• Home gardeners
• Compost system owner’s landscaping
• Company employees
• Golf courses
• Nurseries
 

 
 
Information Resources:
Sonoma County’s Eco-Desk Hotline: 527-3375
University of California Cooperative Extension: 527-2621
Creative Re-Use/North Bay: 546-3340
Sonomax - Sonoma County Materials Exchange: 527-3375

Known manufacturers
of small scale commercial in-vessel compost systems at this time include:

Green Mountain Technologies
3822 Latona Ave. NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 634-1308
Earth Tub - price per unit: $6,500.00. 10 or more units: $5,200.00 Volume 3 cu. yds. 150 lbs per day

Augspurger Engineering, Inc.
15455 N. Greenway-Hayden Loop
Suite C-14
Scottsdale, AZ 85260-1609
(602) 483-5966
Composter 1 - price per unit: $6,500.00. Volume 3 cu. yds.

Naturtech Composting Systems, Inc.
4218 SW Dononvan
Seattle, WA 98136
(206) 932-4621
Computerized composting systems start at $150,000.00.
Volume 4 -200 tons/day

Oregon Soil Corporation (commercial vermiculture)
1324 Beaver Lane
Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 557-9742
$45,000 custom designed systems. Volume up to 6 tons per day.

Wright Environmental Management, Inc.
9050 Yonge St., Suite 300
Richmond Hill, Ontario Canada L4C 956
(905) 881-3950
Prices range from $28,800.00 to $123,875.00. Volume 175 lbs per day to 2,000 lbs per day.

Often these systems are expandable - connecting to each other for handling large amounts of food scraps.
 
 
Mention of specific products or businesses are intended for the information of the reader, or as examples of such products - not as endorsement or recommendation for that product or business.

Acknowledgments:
Project Coordinator - Paul Vossen
Research and Writing - Linda Peterson
Design and Illustration - Lisa Krieshok