DEVELOPMENT OF A BIOSOLIDS MARKETING STRATEGY: “A CULTURAL CHANGE”

The Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) owns and operates the 120 MGD Morris Forman Wastewater Treatment Plant (MFWTP). From the mid 1970's to late 2002, residuals were dewatered and disposed of in a landfill. In 1999, MSD initiated a design/build project to replace the entire solids handling system. MSD subsequently awarded a 65 million contract to design and construct a new solids handling system including anaerobic digestion of primary solids, centrifuge dewatering, and solids drying in rotary kiln dryers. The dryers produce a pelletized biosolids product that meets all criteria for Class A exceptional quality, and therefore has the potential for reuse in a wide variety of potential applications. In addition to the environmental benefits of reusing this resource, MSD also has the potential to eliminate landfilling costs of approximately 600,000 per year and possibly generate a new source of revenue.As MSD explored the potential outlets for this new product, it became obvious that a significant cultural change would be required in the MSD organization to move from a “disposal mentality” to a “product marketing mentality”. This paper will discuss the steps taken by MSD to achieve this cultural change throughout the entire organization, as well as the key elements of a formal Marketing Assessment and the first year Biosolids Marketing Investigation.