Organics
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(2018). "Baltimore Food Waste & Recovery Strategy" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Baltimore Office of Sustainability.Deep Dive
With a $4M EPA grant, Baltimore looks to chart a fresh course on organics
The city's organics infrastructure is getting a jolt from the new funding. Composting advocates hope broader changes laid out in the city’s draft waste plan will follow.
By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 26, 2023 -
Local governments share lessons on new curbside organics collection programs
Local governments that have recently launched curbside organics collection programs in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. say communication with residents and vendors can help smooth out early-stage kinks.
By Megan Quinn • Sept. 25, 2023 -
Federal lawmakers introduce bipartisan legislation to cut food waste, expand USDA programs
The bill, which comes as farm bill negotiations ramp up, would establish an Office of Food Loss and Waste at the agency. A coalition of groups advocating for federal food waste legislation had proposed the idea.
By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 22, 2023 -
Retrieved from Austin Resource Recovery.
New Austin Resource Recovery director named as city implements $4M EPA reuse grant
Richard McHale has more than 30 years of experience with the agency. He has also led the Texas SWANA chapter and the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Municipal Waste Management Association.
By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 20, 2023 -
Retrieved from ReduceTheTrashCT on September 14, 2023
Connecticut city enacts permanent organics co-collection program with unit-based pricing
Middletown’s program was implemented after the success of a pilot sponsored by the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 14, 2023 -
EPA announces recipients of $105M in grants for recycling infrastructure
The long-awaited recycling infrastructure grants are going to 25 communities, including the Baltimore and Minneapolis metro areas as well as recipients in Puerto Rico, Hawai’i, Montana and Ohio.
By Megan Quinn • Sept. 13, 2023 -
Veransa, private equity-backed Florida composter, hires new CEO
Dave Vaughn is expected to focus on integrating recently acquired assets and greenfield sites, along with growing the development of compost products. He previously worked at Denali Water Solutions.
By Cole Rosengren • Updated Sept. 12, 2023 -
BPI seeks to change USDA’s ‘out-of-date’ definition for compost
Composters worry the decades-old definition leaves modern facilities and compostable products out of compliance.
By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 12, 2023 -
Divert breaks ground on anaerobic digestion facility driven by Washington’s organics management law
The Longview facility is one of the first projects to address the law, which set organics diversion and collection requirements when it passed last year.
By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 7, 2023 -
Q&A
Former Miami-Dade waste head on county’s capacity challenges, disaster response and more
Mike Fernandez says the county must be creative in meeting its capacity needs as it considers long-term disposal options. He also shares his severe weather experience as Florida faces another hurricane.
By Jacob Wallace • Aug. 29, 2023 -
Retrieved from Miami-Dade County Solid Waste Management.
Miami-Dade County proposes new, more remote site for WTE facility
The location is more remote following concerns from residents near the Florida county’s former incinerator. But permitting and building the facility would take nearly a decade, leaving the county with interim capacity concerns.
By Jacob Wallace • Aug. 22, 2023 -
Synthica, with Goldman Sachs investment, plans to break ground on multiple AD sites in 2024
The company plans to accelerate the expansion of its waste-to-RNG facilities into Southern markets. Financial terms were not disclosed for the transaction.
By Jacob Wallace • Aug. 21, 2023 -
Minnesota, a birthplace of PFAS, tackles contaminated waste sites on multiple fronts
The state has funding from settlements with companies such as 3M, but the costs ahead are daunting. A recent report estimates it could take at least $105 million to manage the “forever chemicals” at certain landfills and compost sites.
By April Reese • Aug. 17, 2023 -
Anaergia executives disclose ‘substantial doubt’ about finances but still see future opportunities
The company's second-quarter earnings gave new CEO Brett Hodson a chance to reset expectations amid a wave of challenges.
By Jacob Wallace • Aug. 15, 2023 -
Retrieved from New York City Housing Authority on August 14, 2023NYC containerization
How the New York City Housing Authority is rethinking waste
Hoist-collected containers, electric trucks, pneumatic tubes, on-site composting and more upgrades are underway as part of an investment in waste systems at the nation’s largest public housing authority.
By Cole Rosengren • Updated Aug. 14, 2023 -
Survey finds more composters are accepting food waste, but challenges remain
While the number of composters accepting food waste continues to grow, more than a third have a zero tolerance policy for contamination. Compostable packaging, meanwhile, is becoming more commonly accepted.
By Jacob Wallace • Aug. 7, 2023 -
NYC containerization
New York expands commercial containerization requirements as part of anti-rat push
The city’s Department of Sanitation enacted its latest rule this week requiring commercial food establishments to handle waste differently. The move may have operational benefits for haulers, but it poses logistical questions.
By Cole Rosengren • Aug. 1, 2023 -
RSG 2023 earnings
Republic expects higher revenues amid plans for polymer centers, environmental solutions growth
Republic Services’ leaders shared new details about its polymer centers and continued integration of US Ecology, but noted it may have found the ceiling for price increases in certain markets.
By Jacob Wallace • Aug. 1, 2023 -
Retrieved from Hennepin County.
Minnesota looks to reduce Twin Cities’ waste fast as disposal capacity tightens
A proposed 20-year plan for the metro area places an emphasis on strategies to reduce waste at its source and would require local governments to make numerous changes in collection programs and other policies.
By Jacob Wallace • July 13, 2023 -
The image by Tdorante10 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Denali gets $18M contract renewal to operate 3 New York composting facilities
An affiliate company owned by Denali has been operating facilities for the city’s Department of Sanitation since at least 2015. The largest, in Staten Island, is expected to complete major upgrades soon.
By Jacob Wallace • July 12, 2023 -
Consumers don’t understand ‘compostable’ messaging on packaging, survey finds
Lack of consumer clarity with terms like “biodegradable” and “made from plants” can result in materials entering the wrong disposal stream, according to a report from BPI and Closed Loop Partners’ Composting Consortium.
By Katie Pyzyk • July 12, 2023 -
‘Waste-to-value’ development firm Nexus PMG targets biochar, energy following $50M infusion
Nexus PMG has raised its first major growth equity round from institutional backers. The funding will help grow its advisory business as well as subsidiaries Nexus W2V and Pathway Energy.
By Jacob Wallace • July 11, 2023 -
New York City zero waste package, including mandatory residential organics program, becomes law
The city’s Department of Sanitation, which was already ramping up a voluntary curbside organics program, must now enforce participation in 2024 after Mayor Eric Adams allowed a bill to become law without his signature.
By Jacob Wallace • Updated July 11, 2023 -
Former Fiberight facility in Maine to restart in deal with private equity-backed group
Innovative Resource Recovery would jointly own and operate the closed mixed-waste facility with a group of 115 communities.
By Jacob Wallace • July 7, 2023 -
How the waste industry prepared for and reacted to the EPA’s 2023 Renewable Fuel Standard update
The agency’s final rules to generate renewable energy credits from certain systems are seen as a benefit for anaerobic digesters and certain landfill projects. Catch up on coverage of key developments.
June 29, 2023