Composting operation grows, trash agency says
TOWN OF ULSTER >> Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency officials are pleased that food waste coming into a composting program is nearly triple what the agency was taking in a year ago.
At a board meeting Wednesday, agency officials said 802.93 tons of compost was received during the first four months of 2017, an increase of 546.46 tons, or 213 percent.
“A lot of it is that our facility is open six days a week,” operations Director Charlie Whittaker said. “We’re open here from 6 o’clock in the morning to 3 o’clock in the afternoon ... and also our tipping fee is very competitive with two other places. Plus I’ve gotten a lot of feedback that it’s a lot easier coming into the place and dealing with our staff than it is in some of the other places.”
The agency charges $20 per ton for food waste, which is processed into soil over a six-month period. The end product is then sold for $30 per ton to customers who use the soil for gardens, lawns and fill.
“As of May 13, there was 509 tons of compost that we sold,” Whittaker said. “For the exact same time in 2016, it was 335 tons of compost sold.”
Revenue for the first four months of 2017 from composting tipping fees and sales amounted to $29,240, an increase of $15,809, or 177.7 percent. The cost of operations has totaled $8,365, an increase of $6,560, or 363.43 percent.
Under a state Department of Environmental Conservation permit, the agency is limited to accepting 2,000 tons of food waste per year. However, Whittaker said the state might consider increasing the limit because the program keeps food waste from ending up in landfills.
“Region 3 has been very supportive of the operation,” he said. “I’m sure that, if more haulers got involved with bringing us food waste, I don’t think it would be a problem.”
The composting program is expected to play a significant role in Ulster County’s plans to cut down on solid waste as part of a long-term plan to either continue to haul trash elsewhere or develop a local disposal strategy.
“We want to be part of the movement that’s not sending food waste to the landfill,” Whittaker said. “It’s the next piece of the puzzle, just like ewaste was, just like newspapers and cardboard was. It’s the next step that everybody should be doing.
“The idea is to stop food waste from going to landfills, stop filling landfill space, whether it be wood chips, whether it be food waste, whether it be rock, brick and dirt,” he added.
Information has not been accumulated on the amount of solid waste diverted from the agency’s disposal cost because some of the food waste comes from outside of the county. During the past four months, the agency has disposed of 36,063 tons of waste generated in Ulster County at upstate landfills.
Whittaker said the composting operation ceased being a pilot program and became a dedicated operation when approval was given for the agency to increase its limit from an initial 500 tons of food waste per year. He added that it has also become part of the essential services provided to the county.
“This is very home-grown,” he said. “The local businesses are bringing it in, and then we’re selling it to the community at a very good rate. It’s all homegrown, made right here in Ulster County, with the Ulster County businesses that want to participate in it. It’s the Ulster County towns that bring us the chips, and the final product goes to people who live in Ulster County for their gardens and their farms.”