Christina and Jeremiah Eneix of Green Earth Landworks in Anchorage Alaska purchases the compost produced by the XACT BioReactor which is owned and operated by Alaska Green Waste Solutions. The compost is produced using food waste, horse manure and wood chips.
Compost Blended with Top Soil
When Green Earth Landworks receives the compost, it is cured in static piles, and, due to the severity of the weather conditions, the piles are inoculated with a microbial package to enhance the final maturation of the compost. The mature compost is blended with top soil for bulk sales at the nursery. It is also used for top dressing, erosion control socks filler. These socks are used by the DOT which requires the compost be certified. The lab reports show that the compost passes all the tests with flying colors! Please get in touch if you would like a copy of the report!
Back in 2009, Alaska Waste Company had wanted to divert 450 to 500 tons of organic materials from the landfill and looked at the possibility of windrow and static pile composting. However, the company did not have the space for these methods and the throughput would be too slow anyway. Then Alaska Waste investigated in-vessel composting methods and came upon the rotating drum BioReactor technology by XACT Systems. The BioReactor has a tiny footprint and tremendous throughput capacity. It was a good fit for Alaska Waste’s needs, so they purchased a 10’ diameter by 30’ long vessel.
Once all the installation and recipe tweeking had taken place, the system nearly runs itself. There is only one operator who works a total of 3 to 4 hours a day with the entire composting system (including loading, unloading and clean up). There is minimal maintenance, and the energy requirements are so low because the 10’ x 30’ drum is being driven by only a 5 hp motor. As an added bonus, the heat off the BioReactor helps heat the building!
Jeff Jessen, the Renewable Resources Program Administrator, says, “the XACT composting system runs on Cruise Control now…it runs so well and it couldn’t be easier to operate.”
Alaska Green Waste Solutions sells the compost to a local nursery for $50.00 a cubic yard. The nursery cures it for a couple of weeks, blends it and uses it for landscaping at housing projects, erosion control for large projects, and as a medium for compost socks. “They cannot get enough of our compost” Jeff reports.
Urban composting with the BioReactor by XACT offers savvy businesses the opportunity to capitalize on the growing trend for local food production better know as Urban Farming. Let’s talk about this new Local Food Movement and then see how the BioReactor fits into the picture.
A new study from The Ohio State University suggests that most modern cities have the potential to grow up to 100 percent of their current needs for produce and other items. The study, “Can cities become self-reliant in food?,” conducted by Parwinder Grewal, professor of entomology and director of the Center for Urban Environment and Economic Development at Ohio State University, suggests that a city such as Cleveland, OH, could produce most of the food its citizens need.
The report states that “While not trivial, current local food production only accounts for 1.7 percent ($1.5 million) of the $89 million Cleveland spends annually on fresh produce, and 0.1 percent of the city’s total food and beverage expenditures. However, the potential for food self-reliance is significantly higher considering available space in the city.”
The study determined that Cleveland has more than 3,000 acres of vacant lots that are the result of years of manufacturing job losses, the recent economic downturn and a high rate of home foreclosures. He also found 2,900 acres of flat rooftops.
This study indicates that “the city can prevent economic leakage anywhere from $27 million to $115 million annually by increasing its production of fresh produce, poultry and honey. This could boost the city’s economy and lead to increased job creation.” In addition, local food production has many other benefits, such as boosting access to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables; cut obesity rates due to consumption of healthy food and increased physical activity; promote a sense of community and decrease crime activity; and raise property values as vacant lots are put to attractive and productive use.
Urban farming can also reduce human impact on the environment. Professor Grewal said food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles from the farm to the consumer’s plate, requiring large amounts of fuel and energy for transportation and refrigeration. Additionally, increasing green space in the city through farms and gardens can boost carbon storage in the soil, reduce problems associated with stormwater runoff, and curtail the urban heat island effect.
“Just like the organic food movement, where it was about five to six years ago, the local food movement is gaining a similar type of momentum right now, and every city has the potential to at least increase its local self-sufficiency and resilience by producing its own food.”
This study certainly makes sense, and the BioReactor Mini, such as the 510 or 515 makes it a viable economic and environmental business endeavor. All the features of the XACT BioReactor scream “Urban”. From the fast throughput to the quiet operation to the odorless processing there is no better composting system for organic waste conversion. Couple the BioReactor technology with the staggering food waste produced from schools, restaurants, hospitals, and grocery stores and then utilize the finished compost for Urban Farm–it makes cents (lots of them)!
Are you frustrated with the tremendous amount of organic waste created in our communities along with the persistent total lack of creativity in ways of disposing of it? Perhaps the answer to this problem can be found in the wisdom of 2 ideas. 1) Think Globally, Act Locally. 2) Grassroots Action. At XACT Systems, where I work, we offer a composting system that will allow you to take action now with an environmentally and economically viable system – on a extremely small footprint – handling the amount of waste per day that you need to – odor control up the wazoo – within the confines of your community. At the core of the system is the BioReactor which converts organic waste into compost NOW. Your concern is our concern and that is why the XACT BioReactor was created….to be part of the solution. I would be very grateful, if you would take a look at this system when you get a free minute. Many thanks. D
Many communities have set higher standards for waste diversion, yet have not achieved them for one reason or another. What is the target for your community to divert solid organic waste from landfills? Is there progress being made towards meeting those goals? If not, what or who are the obstacles standing in the way?
Composting projects should be getting quicker approvals than they are . How can we move these projects forward?
Many thanks, and keep in touch. D
Waste handling companies, landfills, and waste haulers looking for strategies to help them define their future success, need to look no further than XACT’s rotating drum composting technology. This progressive composting technology can help the solid waste industry adapt to and take advantage of the regulations requiring organics diversion from landfills that are popping up like dandelions all over the country. Some see these reg’s as the proverbial Black Cloud, but the in-vessel BioReactor is the Silver Lining. The BioReactor by XACT can allow you to capitalize BIG TIME by converting the solid organic waste into very good compost, in very short order, on very little land. Consider this opportunity and you will be able to define your companies future as S-U-C-C-E-S-S!
Check out the new website with the new video of the XACT BioReactor for making compost from waste. Please feel free to contact us and ask for the full length video to show your colleagues and/or boss. It could be the best move you make for the success of your company and you!