2004 Annual Report: Organics

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• Food Scrap Management
• Compost/Mulch Source List
• Organics Partnerships
• Biennial Infrastructure Survey
• Best Management Practices for Compostable Materials

Food Scrap Management

According to the Board’s 2004 Statewide Waste Characterization Study, nearly 15 percent of California's waste stream consists of food scraps. Food remains the largest single waste type measured.

The number of jurisdictions, institutions, and commercial businesses that are planning and implementing food diversion programs continues to increase. However, barriers to food scrap program implementation—real and perceived—still exist. To address these barriers, Board staff continues to maintain and further develop the Food Scrap Management website. The site provides additional case studies, fact sheets, and other reference resources through its web-based food diversion information clearinghouse.

Board staff also continues to promote these resources and the Board-adopted “Food Waste Diversion Hierarchy” through its web page and through presentations to facilitate the best end use of food discards. Staff members have developed informal partnerships with organizations such as the California Restaurant Association, the Greening of Ethnic Restaurants program, and the Nevada Environmental Protection Agency.

Compost/Mulch Source List

In 2004, the Board changed the manner in which it updated the compost and mulch source list. Prior source lists were assembled by mailing applications to more than 250 established businesses to invite them to list their name and products on the Board’s source list.

Participation on the list is voluntary, and the response rate from the organics community was low. Therefore, many compost or mulch producers were not represented. To increase the number of compost and mulch producers on the list and to make the information more timely and accurate, staff used the Solid Waste Information System (SWIS) database to locate compost and mulch producers.

The compost and mulch source list now reflects every compost producer who received a permit to operate from the Board or a local enforcement agency. In addition, the location of chip and grind facilities (mulch producers) are now available to the public on the SWIS database. The database is continuously updated, eliminating the need for an annual survey.

Organics Partnerships

The San Francisco group Sustainable Conservation combined resources with the Board, U.S. EPA, and Merced County of Public Works to develop an innovative manure management project in Merced County. The project objective was to expand and further demonstrate that dairy manure could be successfully co-composted with municipal green waste.

The project used the existing municipal composting infrastructure in Merced County and manure from a local dairy. The intent of this demonstration was to provide a model strategy to manage manure and green waste for municipalities and dairies in California and elsewhere. Sustainable Conservation completed the project in 2004 and along with the Merced County of Public Works hosted an open house at Merced’s composting facility.

Biennial Infrastructure Survey

The Board’s May 2004 report, Second Assessment of California’s Compost- and Mulch-Producing Infrastructure, is an update of the original 2001 comprehensive survey of California’s organics materials management industry. These two reports have helped the Board better understand market dynamics and have assisted businesses and local jurisdictions in their efforts to market organic materials. The reports provide information on the number of operating compost and mulch producers, quantities and types of feedstock, product quantities by type and region, and feedstock quality.

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Best Management Practices for Compostable Materials

Composting activities remain an important step in the Board’s goal to get California to reduce and recycle organics in the waste stream. In 2004, staff continued to coordinate with industry, local enforcement agencies, and local and State government agencies in developing best management practices (BMP) and odor mitigation measures to satisfy the requirements of Public Resources Code section 43209.1. Odor-based BMPs integrate feedstock handling with composting methods to promote a greater degree of aerobic activity. Operators have contributed valuable insights based on their varied operations.

The Board also is conducting emissions tests to identify BMPs that result in affordable alternative control strategies for compost facilities to meet air quality standards. In November 2002, the Board conducted emissions tests on green waste composting at Tierra Verde Industries in Irvine. The tests were designed to evaluate emission reductions that could be achieved by controlling feedstock mixtures and aeration techniques.

Specifically, researchers used two blends of feedstock: a woody blend (high carbon: nitrogen ratio) and a grassy blend (low carbon: nitrogen ratio). They evaluated two levels of aeration as well: static windrows (natural convection only) and mechanically turned windrows using a Scarab.

The results from the emission tests indicated that ammonia emissions were non-detect or extremely low and should not be an issue of concern for green waste composting. The emission results for volatile organic compounds (VOC) indicate that controlling feedstock blends can effectively reduce VOC emissions.

The results associated with aeration techniques show different emission profiles over time. However, the tests have not yet revealed whether aeration techniques can lower total emissions without conducting a life-cycle assessment. The Tierra Verde tests supported the concept of using affordable best management practices requiring minimal technology to lower emissions.

The CIWMB has subsequently funded a research project with San Diego State University to conduct life-cycle assessment studies on effective best management practices to lower emissions from green waste composting. This project will provide further definition for a menu of BMPs, the conditions under which they should be used, and the anticipated emission reductions that can be realized. The research project includes a field demonstration of the most promising BMPs.

The project will provide an evaluation of baseline emissions for naturally occurring organic materials. The Board anticipates the findings from this research will support the South Coast Air Quality Management District in their consideration of using BMPs as emissions control strategies. The BMPs would help compost facility operators comply with Rule 1133.3 regulations for green waste composting.

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