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Be a Host to Compost: The Greenest DIY

9/7/2016

 
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The thought of a decomposing pile of waste sitting in or near the home might be a little off putting to some people, but it's not nearly as much of a hassle as it may seem at a glance. In fact, compost not only provides health and vitality to your garden and lawn, it plays a major part in cutting down greenhouse gas emissions, landfill overflow and even weed control.

You've probably seen scary statistics, like the World Wildlife Fund's study that claims we will need two earths to sustain ourselves by the year 2050, or that the earth's fish supply will run out by the year 2048, but that doesn't have to be the case. As buzzy and ubiquitous as the green movement has become nowadays, there's a reason it's everywhere. According to the EPA, the amount of landfills that exist in the U.S. has been steadily shrinking for the past 20 years or so. This may sound like a good thing, but in actuality we produce more garbage, so the land fills are bursting at the seams with greenhouse gas and sometimes toxic substances. Some landfills, like Cecil County Central Landfill in Elkton, Maryland even require relocation and remediation by third-party companies like Sevenson Environmental. The growing garbage problem is starting to get stinky. Luckily, there's a lot you can do at home to combat it (and look like an earth-saving hero to all your friends), starting with the simple act of composting.

Why It's Helpful
The EPA reports that approximately 17 percent of all methane gas emitted in the U.S. comes from landfills, which lump dangerous refuse with helpful organic material. By starting a compost bin or area for your family, you are lessening toxic contributions to already overcrowded landfills. The EPA estimates that if every household composted their yard trimmings and food scraps, it could reduce the municipal waste stream by up to 25 percent. Furthermore, The United States Composting Council's findings show that for every one ton of composted waste, .25 metric tons of greenhouse gases are prevented. A Sierra Club study concluded that a family of four could easily create 500 pounds of compost in a year. 

A Quick How-To
​Did you know that you can compost egg shells, cardboard pizza boxes, nail clippings, old wool or cotton clothing, bills and even condoms? And the list goes on. All you need is a bin, bucket, soil and motivation to make the world a better place for your children. The recipe for compost is simple: use approximately a 1/1 ratio for soil and scraps, alternating approximately four-inch layers. A properly tended compost bin doesn't smell or breed harmful bacteria, as long as you don't add any fats, meats, dairy or oils. Once you begin your foray into greener pastures, be sure to aerate the soil with holes or earthworms. This also quickens the decomposition process. It is also important to stir your compost intermittently so it doesn't become impacted. From there you can use it to make the most beautiful,nutrient-rich garden that your home could ever need— and the earth will thank you

Waste not center closes its doors

1/11/2013

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Misfit pens, lights, ribbons and books will have to find a new place to call home.

Columbus’ Waste Not Center, where teachers and artists found castaway items to recycle for their projects, closed on Dec. 17.

After years of service, the Central Ohio Sustainability Alliance board voted to close the center at 2830 Fisher Rd. on the West Side because of a lack of money.....

read full article

Courtesy The Columbus Dispatch Saturday December 29, 2012 5:54 AM

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SWACO Announces Shift Away From Landfilling

1/9/2013

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TEAM GEMINI TO DEVELOP GREEN ENERGY PARK USING FUEL CREATED FROM WASTE

The Board of Trustees ("Board") for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio approved two land lease contracts today (Jan. 8, 2013) which serve as blueprints for new facilities that will significantly increase the area's recycling rates. The Board approved the agreements today with Team Gemini, LLC ("Gemini"), a sustainable project design and development company headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

The leases mark completion of contract negotiations between the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio ("SWACO") and Gemini after an eight-month selection process. SWACO Executive Director Ronald J. Mills also recently signed a contract where Gemini agrees to construct the recycling center and an industrial park that will be powered primarily by renewable energy.

Under details spelled out in the contract and land leases, Gemini agrees to lease 22-acres of SWACO land next to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill to construct receiving facilities; Gemini will lease 343-acres of SWACO land north of State Route 665, which will house Gemini's green-energy industrial park. In both cases, Gemini agrees to pay SWACO $1,000 per acre per annum once the facilities are constructed.

The contract also requires Gemini to build at its expense a combined Receiving Facility, that will be owned and operated by SWACO, and a Material Recovery Facility ("MRF"), which will be owned and operated by Gemini. Once completed in 2014, Team Gemini agrees to recycle a minimum of 1,000 tons of waste a day that would otherwise be headed to the landfill and pay SWACO $4.81 per net ton for the usable material. This payment is in addition to normal tipping fees paid by haulers at the gate.

Under terms of the contract, SWACO can increase the amount of waste Gemini receives, leaving the potential for larger scale recycling.

Mills said the projects will not affect existing curbside recycling programs. About 60 percent of landfill waste comes from businesses.

"Curbside programs can continue to harvest the best of recyclables. This project is a way for us to increase recycling in what is left," Mills said. "This project is a tremendous step toward SWACO's goal of decreasing dependence on the landfill while providing SWACO financial stability where ratepayers ultimately benefit."

In addition, Gemini agrees to build a conveyor system that will bridge State Route 665 and transport the recyclables from the Material Recovery Facility to processing facilities located in the industrial park. The park is also expected to include greenhouses, a fish farm, an anaerobic digester and other production and industrial facilities. Under the design concept, waste from one center will help fuel another.

Team Gemini President, Douglas P. Haughn, who was born and raised in Grove City, Ohio, said that he is excited to come back home and be a part of such a project.

"It is our goal to both build and attract proven technologies that can recover and use the resources of the landfill while generating clean power," Haughn said. "The demand for renewable resources and energy are increasing. This Project creates access to those resources on a concentrated industrial scale and will be made available to the market place. "

"Some countries in Europe no longer have landfills, because they are recycling 100 percent of their waste Why can't we use those same technologies and have a similar goal?" Haughn further noted,"With SWACO and the involvement of industry experts and our team members, we can create a synergistic center of industry, powered completely by our waste stream, thus creating a Carbon Negative Footprint."

Both contracts offer 99-year leases, provided performance milestones are met.

The Ohio State University's Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center has expressed an interest in collaborating with Gemini.

"This agreement and related investment is transformational because of synergistic impacts of bringing together world class technologies into an eco-industrial park, " said Dennis Hall, Interim Director of the Ohio Bioproducts Innovation Center (OBIC) at OSU. "The utilization of existing waste streams, both bio-based and other recyclable materials allows for high value products to be created from what was previously regarded as garbage."

SWACO issued two Requests for Proposals ("RFP") in June and August 2012 dealing with development on SWACO land and use of waste. Team Gemini was selected from that RFP process.

SWACO's Chairman of the Board Bradley N. Frick said this project marks a historic milestone.

"This marks where waste transitions from a cost-center to a revenue generator," Frick said. "What we are doing here can not only set a trend in Ohio, but throughout the nation as well."

Additional information is available on SWACO's website at www.swaco.org

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