Commercial composting infrastructure coming to Oregon

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Southern Oregon Compost in Grants Pass, OR

Allied Waste Services of Corvallis became the first large-scale facility accepting food waste in Oregon when the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality approved its permit this month under long-awaited new compost facility regulations (pdf).

For waste facilities, food solids are a valuable commodity. Much like yard debris, handling food waste creates revenue in two directions – raw material coming in, and finished compost going out.

Julie Jackson, recycling coordinator at Allied Waste of Corvallis, said the law change "has been a long time coming." According to Jackson, food waste will be collected by existing hauling companies, mixed in with yard debris in the city's green bins.

A series of closely monitored pilot projects provided essential data on the environmental impact of commercial compost facilities, the main hurdle during the amendment process. Wastewater runoff was closely monitored in test facilities in Salem, Corvallis and Eugene. The findings helped form the framework for the permitting process, which requires comprehensive planning and on-site analysis of watershed impacts.

At Allied Waste, the food scraps will be held on a paved surface to address water issues. The paved pads are equipped with a "forced aeration" system, which pulls air through the piles of waste to reduce odors, and speed the decomposition of waste.

Commercial composting is not a new concept – some states have had systems in place for decades.

Robert Young, an assistant professor at University of Oregon's Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management, played a key role in implementing one of the first programs in the country. Working for a yard debris facility in 1991, Young lobbied New Jersey lawmakers for 18 months, eventually leading to an approved pilot project to test food waste facility feasibility. The facility accepted waste from food processors and grocery stores, converting the solids to marketable, nutrient-rich compost and soil additives. The results of the project were published, and helped other states move forward with similar initiatives.

Aside from composting facilities, a number of Oregon industries will be able to take the new legislation to the bank.

Burgerville, the Vancouver, WA.-based chain of environmentally conscious fast food restaurants, recently implemented aggressive recycling and composting programs. Alison Dennis, Burgerville's Director of Sustainable Programs, said the initiative arose from an eye-opening waste audit performed in 2007. The audit revealed that 85 percent of Burgerville's waste stream was made up of compostable and recyclable items. In response, Burgerville implemented their in-store sorting program, diverting a considerable amount of waste from landfills, and drastically reducing same-store garbage hauling costs. All of the food waste collected in Oregon is trucked across the Columbia River to Washington, where commercial composting is prevalent.

However, some Burgerville locations haven't been able to participate in the composting program. These locations, located outside of metropolitan areas, don't have access to adequate hauling of food waste – the infrastructure isn't in place yet.

As more facility permits are approved in the coming months, the next concern is infrastructure. Waste haulers will need to design and test new methods to accommodate shifting waste patterns. Also, many uncertainties surround how food waste will be handled – whether it will be mixed in with yard debris, collected separately in new containers, or some other alternative. Another concern is whether composting food will gain widespread acceptance. Many people, and companies, don't compost because they find it inconvenient, smelly, and even gross.

Bob Barrows, the Department of Environmental Quality's waste policy coordinator, is taking the "Field of Dreams" approach: If you build it they will come. "Convenience and infrastructure will affect habits," said Barrows, who predicts that composting food will follow the recycling model. If the infrastructure develops and matures, the convenience of access will effectively change old habits.