Compost Facility Closer to Reality

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — There was near universal support for a comprehensive food-waste-to-compost program during Tuesday’s compost conference at the Rhode Island School of Design. And there was more than just talk about making it a reality, as a large-scale compost facility could be under construction in Rhode Island by the end of the year.

From the Worm Ladies of Charlestown to Waste Management officials to local politicians, nearly all segments of the public and private sectors offered their perspective and support for recycling food waste.

Mayor Angel Taveras said, regardless of the city’s financial mess, “This is the time to invest in things like compost.” He didn’t stick around long enough to give details, but did suggest creating “pilot sites.” “I want you to hold us accountable because we’re going to make it happen," he said.

Interestingly, the city dismissed its top environmental and recycling manager last week, reportedly due to budget cuts. Prior to the start of the conference, Taveras declined to speak to the specifics of cutting the job held by Daisy Diaz, who helped usher in savings well beyond her salary. But Tavares did say to “stay tuned” about the hiring of an energy and sustainability manager for the city.

Despite all the interest in composting, the biggest hurdle to building a centralized compost processing facility is the low cost of simply throwing food in the Central Landfill in Johnston.

Cities such as San Francisco and Seattle make composting cost-effective by charging trash companies some $120 a ton to get rid of garbage. In Rhode Island, however, the “tipping fee” sits at $32 a ton for municipal waste.

“It’s a disincentive; it’s easy to throw (food waste) out,” said Mike O’Connell, director of the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), which runs the state landfill. However, he also called the low tipping fees “a good thing” and “a two-edged sword.”  Part of the mission of RIRRC, he noted, is to keep its revenue and expenses as low as possible.

Christine Beling of the Environmental Protection Agency's Boston office, said Rhode Island only diverts 2 percent of its organic waste from its rubbish and is well behind other New England states, especially Massachusetts and Vermont, in composting. “Rhode Island is not really in a good place when it comes to infrastructure (for large-scale composting)," she said.

Orbit Energy Inc. spokesman Reese Howle said his company is moving ahead with its plans to build a 150-ton anaerobic food digester in Johnston. The North Carolina-based company hopes to break ground by the end of the year.

O’Connell said his agency is backing Orbit’s bid to build a self-contained, anaerobic food digester near the landfill. “We think this is going to be a winner for us," he said. "This is going to be the one.”

The landfill will run out of room in about 24 years, O’Connell said, but he hopes to extend its life by diverting half of its 150 tons of daily organic waste intake to a compost program, like the one Orbit has proposed. “The raw materials are there and we’re looking for a partner," O'Connell said.

Mike Merner, founder of the 32-year-old Earth Care Farm in Charlestown, offered a more existential approach to recycling food waste. “I’m in it for the long-term sustainability of the Earth," he said. Regardless of economic conditions, Merner said, his farm can’t keep up with the demand for its high-quality compost. His solution to this composting dilemma would consist of a mix of farm-based and municipally run facilities around the state. “It’s our birthright to compost,” he said, holding a pail of rich, dark compost.

Conference organizer Greg Gerritt said Rhode Island, with its dense population, expanse of schools and large hospitality industry, is primed for a compost facility. As a first step, he favors the construction a food digester to cut into the state’s 500,000 pounds of daily organic waste while also reducing pollution, increasing local farming and creating jobs. But, he explained, any action is better than just talking about the food-waste issue.

“What you do when you leave here is much more important than what you learned today,” he said.