What is food scrap recycling and composting?
Food scrap recycling or composting is a “manufacturing process” that entails converting inputs into compost products. This facility is NOT a food waste storage facility or a landfill. Materials are brought onto our site and composted into a clean, high-quality soil enhancer.
How would a facility like this benefit Mansfield Township?
We are committed to being good neighbors, just as we have been since the 1960s. Our goal is to create a facility that is clean and preserves open space and farmland, while providing benefits to the community, including helping to reduce the property tax burden on homeowners. Additionally, New Jersey law allows host communities to charge a per ton fee of up to $0.50 for facilities in their municipalities.
What will be brought to the site? Will materials stay on-site or be buried on the site? Are byproducts from composting safe?
The facility will accept food scraps. During the process, a layer of woodchips covers the materials to absorb odor and trap heat.
Once the composting process is complete, the material leaves the site for use as soil enhancers in landscaping and agricultural uses to increase soil health and productivity. In New Jersey, a recent law requires that every State department or agency that engages in landscaping or construction activities on State property or for State projects use compost, mulch or other soil amendments produced from facilities like ours.
What will the facility look like? What kind of equipment will be used on the site? How much of the property will be dedicated to food composting?
The facility is being designed as an aerated static pile system with bunker wall configurations to manage the material. Air is drawn through pipes then through a biofilter (wood chips) to control odor. We are considering the use of electric equipment on site to reduce noise and air emissions.
The facility will occupy approximately 20 acres of the 42 acre site. Earthen berms and appropriate landscaping, including planting of evergreen trees and wildflowers, will be used on the site to minimize views of the facility from the surrounding area as well as any dust or sound from the site.
Are there similar sites elsewhere in New Jersey or around the United States?
The commercial composting industry in the United States is well developed. This facility will incorporate proven technologies from the region, including use of an aerated static pile system.
Similar sites on the East Coast include:
Prince William County, Virginia: The County partnered with a local farm owner to design and install an aerated static pile composting system.
Green Blenz, Washington: Private company uses aerated static pile technology in a bunker wall configuration for food waste and other materials.
City of Napa, California: City contractor upgraded its composting facility to process more yard waste, along with the addition of food waste for residential and commercial drop-off. The facility now includes an aerated static pile system.
St. Peters’ Earth Centre, Missouri: This municipal-run facility processes brush, grass clippings, leaves, and other organic material into mulch and a nutrient-rich compost that is marketed for sale. The site includes an uncovered aerated static pile system in a bunker wall configuration and biofilter.
What happens with the stormwater?
Rain that passes through the compost piles will be collected into underground storage tanks. This water is a valuable resource and it will be treated as a product for sale. It will be used for soil enrichment since it will contain nutrients that are good for the soil.
How will trucks enter the site?
Trucks will use the municipal-designated truck route to the site. This will entail trucks leaving the Blau Road facility and traveling to Rockport Road to Airport Road to Route 57. At this time, it is estimated that approximately 79 trucks per week will be entering and exiting the facility. We will enforce usage of truck routes through contractual agreements with haulers and customers.
Will this attract rodents or wildlife?
Composting materials in the system reach temperatures of 140-160 degrees, which make them unattractive to wildlife.
What about odor?
This will be an aerated static pile composting facility, which uses a layer of woodchips to cover the material and absorb odors. The effectiveness of aerated static pile technology is widely proven across decades of use in the United States and internationally. Additionally, the piles are not turned for at least 21 days, unlike open windrow composting, which helps control odors.
How much water will be used for operations at the site?
Water use for the site includes wetting down the compost piles, as needed, and potable water use for a small office that includes a restroom. Retained onsite stormwater will be used in the first instance for the compost piles, with well water being used as a back-up. We are exploring the use of a composting on-site toilet to reduce the use of potable water at the facility.
Key Definitions
Aerated Static Pile
This compost-generating method involves mixing organic waste in a large pile and providing air pore space in the pile by adding wood chips, shredded newspaper or other bulking agents. Aeration is provided by a blower system. Most systems have a thermocouple feedback to turn aeration on or off based on temperature. These systems can be negative (pulling air) or positive (pushing air) aeration. This method of composting can speed up the composting process and can work with large quantities of materials.
Compost
Knowing what compost is (and what it’s not) is an important first step in ensuring that you use compost in the best way possible. Below is the official definition for what can be considered compost.
Compost is the product manufactured through the controlled aerobic, biological decomposition of biodegradable materials. The product has undergone mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures, which significantly reduces the viability of pathogens and weed seeds (in accordance with EPA 40 CFR 503 standards) and stabilizes the carbon such that it is beneficial to plant growth. Compost is typically used as a soil amendment/enhancement, but may also contribute plant nutrients (AAPFCO definition, official 2018). Finished compost is typically screened to reduce its particle size to improve soil incorporation.