-- Brummet's In the Media --
Lelia Taylor's Buried Under Books blog will feature an article I wrote.
Lelia and I felt felt that because we are
entering into a New Year, and the article being due for publication in the
Spring – a time of renewal or rebirth – that it would be appropriate to offer an article on how
writers can make a difference.
http://www.cncbooks.com/blog The direct link to the article should be:
http://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/writing-blessings-of-positive-change/
-- Quote of the Day --
“Organic matter decomposing in landfills
accounts for 16.2 percent of the US emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse
gas.
…Americans generated nearly 35 million tons
of food waste in 2010,
...97 percent of which went into
landfills.
...more than 60 percent of the nation's yard trimmings -
which makes up a similar portion of the U.S. waste stream - got recycled.”
~ quoted
from an article written by Juliet Eilperin titled
‘Composting Efforts Gain Traction Across the United States’
-- Of Organic Waste --
Similar numbers to those listed in the quote above are likely to
be found in Canada and in other places of the world.
Over on the Vancouver Island
in Cumberland, BC – they have a wonderful system for creating compost out of
wastewater and plan or solid materials (i.e. sewage) where over 4,500 tons of
materials are blended and enclosed in an aerated-floor bay for 28 days at
55-65˚ C. At this point the material will be screened and the stuff that
doesn’t make it through the screen is sent back to the mixing station to be put
in with new materials. The rest is transported on a separate conveyor belt to a
special station that is aerated with perforated pipes and fans, where it sits
for 6-8 weeks until is cured. At that point the material is moved yet again to
windrows where it is turned every week or so for 10-12 weeks.
In total the facility can
produce about 2,400 tons of compost that it sells back to the city, community
members and agriculture industries. They hope, however, to double this
production in the near future and are looking at greener company production
options such as recovering heat from the composting stations. Their facility is
based on a holistic composting approach using aeration and heat which reduces
methane gas production and destroys pathogens.
Meanwhile over on the
East-Coast of the US more than 125 Safeway stores grind and ship spent coffee,
flowers, vegetables and fruits to a recycling facility more then a 100 miles
away to be produced into compost. Now that is commitment!
In the Okanagan region of BC,
Canada – the city of Kelowna created a product called Ogogrow, which they produce from their compost facility and then
bag and sell back to the local gardeners, nurseries, and by the truckload to
nurseries or use in local city parks and gardens. It operates using aerated
composting systems along with temperature probes to make sure the heat is
appropriate to kill any bad bacteria and has to pass several strict tests to
ensure it is absolutely safe to use. However it has created a positive cash
flow for the city and people really do enjoy participating in the program. Some
areas like Grand Forks in the Boundary Region of BC have smaller, limited yard
organic systems where they allow spring, fall and Xmas yard and tree trimmings
curbside service. Several cities in both the US and Canada have already put
bans out on putting commercial food waste in landfills.
What we can see by these
examples is the need to have more local-based compost recycling facilities
where all grocery stores, corner stores, cafes, restaurants, hotels and coffee
shops can send their organics with less travel involved. While we are seeing a
growth in this sector and hopefully we’ll find that curbside organic pick up
and afore mentioned business compost recycling systems will be so common that
it will equal or excel other recycling programs that currently exist.
Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, their radio program, blog, and more at: http://brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, clicking those social networking buttons, or visiting the Brummet's Store - and help raise funds for charity as well!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing some great examples.For get more information about Organic Waste please go through this website http://www.wastetowater.com.au/.Waste to Water, LLC (WTW) is proud to introduce the "BIO-EZ" (Pat. Pend. # 12/076.677).These MADE IN AMERICA food waste processing units and our exclusive "BIO-HELPER" microorganisms are the first self-contained food waste elimination and recycling system designed to fit seamlessly in any commercial kitchen, supermarket, hotel, resort or food distribution application.