We will explore two composting start-ups: one in North Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania, and the other in West Wendover, Nevada. These two facilities illustrate different approaches to getting a composting facility up and running.
North Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania
The North Londonderry Township facility was designed to handle the expected increase in yard trimmings as the township grows. Officials learned from visiting other sites that it was important to build capacity for future needs.
- The township started collecting leaves curbside in 1989 and initially landspread them on area farms.
- As farms were required to establish nutrient management plans, they became less willing to accept leaves. This, combined with land development pressures, led the township to establish a composting site.
- The township received grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to fund the project.
The composting site includes a rectangular pad to accommodate long windrows, a drop-off area for residents, and concrete barriers to separate feedstock types. The pad was designed to manage stormwater runoff, with a slope and sheet flow to one end. It is paved to enable year-round access and maximize the efficiency of the windrow turning equipment.
- Residents can obtain permits for $25 per year to drop off grass clippings, garden residue, and leaves at their convenience.
- The township does not accept loads from landscapers or other commercial entities.
- Woodchips collected from the township’s curbside chipping program are incorporated into the compost windrows.
The township invested in equipment for leaf collection, chipping, and windrow turning.
- Leaves are collected using an ODB vacuum with a blade to reduce their size.
- The township purchased a custom-designed truck chassis with a hook-lift design to interchange the leaf vacuum with a dump box.
- A Brown Bear windrow turner was purchased to turn the windrows efficiently.
The finished compost is screened and sold to residents as plant bedding material.
West Wendover, Nevada
West Wendover chose composting as a cost-effective alternative to building a Class I landfill.
- The composting facility was built with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Public Works Department.
The facility processes about 10 tons per day of food residuals, other solid waste, and biosolids. Due to limited funding, the Public Works Director was resourceful in the facility’s design and equipment selection.
- The facility includes biosolids dewatering beds, two rotating mixing vessels, a trommel screen, and an aeration bed.
- Food-rich MSW loads and biosolids are loaded into the mixing vessels, and wet or waxed corrugated materials are added directly without grinding.
The composting process involves screening, aeration, and a final screening to remove glass.
- After 48 hours in the mixing vessels, material is screened, with the overs going to the landfill and the screened material going to the aeration bed.
- The piles are turned every seven days for 28 days.
- A de-stoner was purchased to address the problem of glass in the compost.
The finished compost is used for landscaping projects in the city, which helps to conserve water.
Both composting facilities have provided benefits to their communities by diverting waste from landfills and producing valuable compost. While their approaches and feedstocks differ, they both demonstrate the viability of composting as a sustainable waste management practice.
