AN INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO BIOSOLIDS: A PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

As the challenges and cost for waste management have grown over the years, an interesting development has occurred – the separation and management of individual waste streams. In the wastewater treatment area, options for the disposal of biosolids are continually being assessed, offered and challenged. This assessment focuses on the direct cost associated with postprocessing cost (lime stabilization, landspreading, compost application). Officials must also balance public acceptance for biosolids disposal under the growing guidance of watershed management strategies.In a parallel fashion, federal and state solid waste regulations call for the continued efforts to “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle,” particularly as it applies to public entities. Similarly, solid waste managers are also required to look at post-processing cost (recyclables), transportation cost (separate collection for waste and recyclables), and disposal cost (landfills, incineration, compost application).We now have a unique opportunity to integrate waste management strategies that will allow us to:Effectively integrate planning to lower overall costsCreate more opportunities for disposal through co-composting (even within watersheds)Simplify public participation.Through co-composting of municipal solid waste and biosolids, the integration of “postprocessing,” “transportation,” and “disposal” can be addressed together. Groupe Conporec, of Tracy, Quebec, Canada, is a private solid waste management company that has partnered with a municipality to effectively manage both waste streams. Our discussion will focus on the following topics as it relates to co-composting with biosolids:Ability to accept biosolids over a wide range of moisture contentsCompost quality with respect to metals concentrations, phosphorus loadings, and watershed management practices (case study – Delaware County, New York, permitting)Odor controls.