[USCC] ACCELERATING DECOMPOSITION

[Matthew Cotton]

Ron -

Although things are certainly different here in CA, most landfills  
(operating as Subtitle D, "dry tombs") try really hard to keep any  
liquids above 50 percent moisture out of the landfill. I am not aware  
of any so called "bioreactor" landfills that have gone after sewage  
sludge as a liquid addition (yet) though you might try the EPA's  
Landfill Methane Outreach Program website. I believe there is a list  
of active and proposed bioreactor landfills there which may lead you  
to someone introducing sewage sludge or other liquid wastes into a  
landfill environment. I know there are some projects that are using  
leachate recirculation as a way of enhancing decomposition.

My guess would be the "more landfill space" is a red herring. Most  
bioreactor projects I am familiar with are really trying to reduce  
long-term liability insurance costs by (theoretically) shortening the  
life (and maintenance thereof) of the landfill by adding liquids to  
enhance decomposition in the landfill, thus increasing methane  
production - but hey, I'm no landfill expert.

There is a battle yet to be waged among composters and landfill  
operators as we (the compost operators and resource managers) strive  
to get more and more organics out of the landfill. Some landfill  
operators believe that removing the organics from the landfill will  
reduce their potential energy production from capturing and burning  
landfill methane for energy or compressing it into a liquid fuel.  
This is just the latest battle ground for composters. The increased  
focus on greenhouse gasses simultaneously with our focus on renewable  
energy will make for strange times indeed. The biggest GHG reduction  
bang for the buck is keeping organics out of the landfill in the  
first place (although some landfills have sophisticated energy  
recovery systems, most don't - especially outside of CA). There are  
real benefits to be had (as you know as well as anyone) in returning  
those organics back to the soil. Under the right circumstances this  
can be credited as carbon sequestration.

The best way to create more landfill space is to keep recoverable  
organics (and recyclables) out of the landfill in the first place.

Matthew Cotton
Integrated Waste Management Consulting, LLC
19375 Lake City Road
Nevada City, CA  95959
(530) 265-4560
Fax (530) 265-4547
mattcotton at mindspring.com

Join us at the US Composting Council's 16th Annual Conference & Trade  
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On May 16, 2007, at 5:23 AM, Ron Alexander wrote:

> Participate in the Annual International Compost Awareness Week May  
> 6, 2007 to May 12, 2007
> This year's theme is "The Possibilities are Endless ... Compost!"
> For more info, go to: http://compostingcouncil.org/section.cfm? 
> id=25 or Call the USCC at 631-737-4931
> ______________________________________________________________________ 
> ________
> Hello Compost (and organics recycling) World,
>
> Does anyone out there have any 'real world' experience with using  
> the addition of biosolids to landfills as a means of accelerating  
> 'waste' decomposition? Thus....creating more landfil space over  
> time???
>
> Thanks,
> Ron
>
>
> Ron Alexander
> R. Alexander Associates, Inc.
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