At this stage, the waste is “hot.” Staff workers periodically take readings to ensure the temperature reaches at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to kill pathogens, parasites, and other harmful organisms.
A covering of fine mulch—called a “bio filter”—is placed over the pile, to further detract critters and reduce odors. (According to a UCRRA worker, the smell is sweet and woody, not at all like the stink of garbage.)
After 30 days of this active, bacterial phase, the waste transitions to a “fungal” phase and is moved to another pile, where it’s “cured” for another 30 to 60 days. Afterwards it is fully composted and ready to be distributed. Besides landscapers and gardeners, one major customer for compost is the state Department of Transportation, which uses it for erosion control on road cuts, Moon said. “There’s no limit to the end markets,” he said.
Ahead of the state
The UCRRA pilot is modeled after Onondaga County’s composting system, which has been operational for four years, Moon said. He noted that municipal composting projects are sprouting up throughout the Northwest, with one of the largest in Seattle, which composts 60,000 to 100,000 tons of food waste annually. Some institutions also have implemented noteworthy projects, such as St. John’s University. The aerated static pile system was developed in the early 1970s in Beltsville, Maryland. Ulster County is one of the first municipalities to deploy the system in New York State.
After Moon explained the process, a spiffy dump truck backed up to the semi-enclosed area and dumped 1,000 pounds of dripping, pungent, half-rotted food waste. The waste included a soda can and some plastic bottles and containers, illustrating the biggest challenge to successful composting: the dumping of non-organics, particularly plastic, which doesn’t break down, in the waste.
For the composting pilot to be successful, “education is key,” said Laibach. The trickiest aspect is the collection process—ensuring the waste generator removes the plastic and other non-composted materials from the waste. Proper timing of the waste collection is also critical, she said.
Food scraps and leftovers, including meat, fish, and dairy byproducts , bones, rice, pasta, and bread can be composted, along with coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, uncoated paper (plates, paper towels and paper napkins), plants and flowers, wood scraps and yard waste.
The compost can be used on edible crops, unlike the pellets processed from sewage waste at Kingston’s Wastewater Treatment Facility. But isn’t there a potential hazard from residual pesticides in yard waste? Moon said most herbicides and pesticides break down. The exception is two products manufactured by Dow Chemical, which several states, including Washington, have banned.
The composting program is a response to DEC’s “Beyond Waste” management plan, which aims to reduce the state’s waste. Currently, the average New Yorker produces four pounds of waste each day; the goal is to reduce this amount to half a pound by 2030.
Laibach said the UCRRA’s composting program “is all good and very sustainable. It’s a model for other counties in the Hudson Valley.”
