What is a commercial composting system?

Have you ever wondered what happens to your food and yard waste after it&#;s taken away by your local waste management company? Well, chances are it ends up in an industrial composting facility. These large, commercial operations help to divert waste away from landfill and turn organic matter into nutrient rich compost. So, what exactly is industrial composting, and how does the process work? Here, we explore the industrial composting systems so you can learn more about what happens to your waste. 

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What Is Industrial Composting?

Industrial composting is the large-scale processing of organic waste into compost. This helps to prevent biodegradable organic materials ending up in landfill and allows commercial composting companies to create a valuable product from garden waste and food scraps that would otherwise be thrown away. 

It&#;s based on exactly the same idea as your home compost pile. Essentially, the industrial composting process accelerates the decomposition of organic matter using a variety of techniques. At the end of the process, the compostable materials will have been transformed into nutrient rich soil that can be used to help grow more fruit and veg.

One of the main benefits of industrial composting is that it helps to divert organic waste, like yard trimmings and left-over food, away from landfills. This is important as untreated green waste will rot down and produce methane gas. Methane is a harmful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

What Is Compostable?

Industrial composting facilities can process everything you can at home, as well as a variety of other biodegradable products. For example, industrial composting processes can handle a wide variety of food waste including bones and grease. Compostable plastics can also be broken down and turned into soil using industrial methods.

Examples of waste that can be processed in a commercial composting facility include:

• Meat
• Avocado and mango pits
• Raw mussel shells
• Fish bones
• Chicken bones
• Dairy products
• Baked goods
• Cardboard covered in food residues
• Bio-solids
• Animal manure
• All food scraps
• Bioplastic

How Does Industrial Composting Work?    

Industrial composting works by creating the optimal conditions for the breakdown of compostable materials. This involves ensuring the temperature, humidity and airflow are just right and, in some methods, turning the compost regularly to aid micro-organisms and accelerate the process.

In many cases, industrial composting companies collect waste from their clients, just like your local curbside recycling scheme. These businesses might process grass clippings from landscaping companies or food waste from restaurants. Some composting facilities also allow customers to drop off waste directly.

The waste is then processed and the finished compost sold to farmers, gardeners and other end users.

Different Methods of Industrial Composting

There are four main industrial composting methods.

1. Vermicomposting 

If you&#;re a keen gardener, you may well have used vermiculture in your own home composting process. The method uses worms to break down organic matter into nutrient-rich, high-quality soil and can take as little as two months from start to finish. 

However, while the process can be scaled-up to meet commercial demands, it&#;s not always the most efficient composting system and can be difficult to manage. As a result, it&#;s one of the lesser-used industrial composting methods.

2. Windrow Composting

Windrow composting is one of the most commonly used industrial composting techniques. The &#;windrows&#; are long rows of organic waste around four to eight feet high and 15 feet wide. These piles are turned regularly in order to expose them to optimal amounts of air, heat and moisture. This allows microbes to thrive and the matter to break down quickly. It generally takes around four months for the waste to be turned into compost using this method.

3. Static Pile Composting

In static pile composting, organic matter is mixed with loose, dry materials like wood chips and shredded paper. This allows air to travel through the pile without the need for regular turning. In some cases, the organic matter is placed over pipes to stimulate airflow and ensure every part of the pile is well aerated.

4. In-Vessel Composting (IVC)

In-vessel composting (IVC) is generally considered the most cost-effective industrial composting method. To produce compost through IVC, organic matter is first shredded and mixed before being placed in a commercial composting machine.

The machine controls the temperature, oxygen and water the waste is exposed to. It also automatically rotates the organic matter to ensure it all decomposes at the same rate. During the composting process, the matter is exposed to high temperatures that kill off harmful bacteria, pathogens and weed seeds.

Because a specialist machine is required, this process can be expensive and there&#;s a limit to the amount of green waste and compostable products you can process at any one time. On the plus side, IVC allows raw organic matter to be turned into compost in just one month, making it the fastest of all composting operations.

Difference Between Industrial Composting and Home Composting?

One of the main differences between industrial and home composting is time. An industrial composting service will create the ideal conditions for the breakdown of organic matter into a saleable product. This accelerates the process and makes their operations more profitable. 

Another key difference is in the variety of waste that can be composted. Industrial composters can handle a much wider range of organic matter, including things like bioplastics and bones, that can&#;t be processed in domestic outdoor or indoor compost bins.

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Common Problems that Can Occur During Composting

The most common problem in industrial composting is contamination. There are some products that just won&#;t break down, no matter the conditions they&#;re placed in. If this type of non-biodegradable solid waste is mixed in with organic matter, it can be very difficult to separate. This can have an impact on the quality of the finished compost and on the process itself.

Final Thoughts

Industrial composting is an important part of local and national sustainability policies. The more municipal solid waste that&#;s composted, the less that will end up in landfill, something that&#;s great news for the environment as well as for businesses interested in achieving zero waste and reducing their carbon footprint. What&#;s more, as well as keeping waste out of landfill, industrial composting creates a valuable product that can be used to help grow fruit and veg and improve the quality of gardens everywhere.

Find out more, and learn how Zero Waste can help you to achieve your sustainability goals, by taking a look around or getting in touch with a member of our team.

Contact one of our TRUE Advisors today.

Organics remain the largest single component of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the US, and while its rate of decomposition is relatively fast compared to petroleum-based materials such as plastic, the sheer amount of it can pose challenges for cities trying to effectively divert food waste. Whether its organic waste, yard trimmings, or even biodegradable packaging, optimizing systems to manage the organic waste issue is important.

Composting is currently the most environmentally beneficial way to handle organic waste today and is among the cornerstones of a more circular economy. It also keeps food waste out of landfill and enriches the soil.

Here, we look at how commercial composting works, with a special focus on New York and the city&#;s latest push towards zero waste. Commercial composting has the potential to eliminate waste, revitalize soil, and combat global warming, here&#;s how.

What is commercial composting?

At its most basic level, commercial composting works in exactly the same way as the compost piles you&#;re used to&#;it is, after all, a natural process of decomposition. The perfect compost pile requires a range of inputs: green inputs such as nitrogen-rich food waste; brown inputs such as dry, carbon-rich yard trimmings; oxygen; and water. When combined, these elements encourage the growth of microorganisms which raise the temperature inside the compost pile and break down the organic matter over time.

While many commercial composting facilities are similar to those you find in your garden, just on a larger scale, there are other methods of dealing with organic waste. These methods can help to deal with problematic materials such as meat and bones, meaning commercial composting has the potential to deal with all kinds of organic waste, unlike a simple compost pile.

Naturally, commercial-scale facilities require a greater degree of organization, including &#;pile&#; management and logistical coordination when collecting materials, alongside sensitivity to the local environment and where residents are located. However, the end product (i.e. the compost), is usually much higher quality than an average home pile. In part, this is due to careful management and a broader range of organic inputs available.

Commercial composting methods

There are three main commercial composting methods, although other methods may also be used within the industry, particularly as technology advances and new processes are developed. The most popular conventional commercial composting methods are:

Windrow Composting

This method of commercial composting piles waste into long rows (windrows) between four and eight feet high and 14 to 16 feet wide. Waste is periodically turned to introduce oxygen. High temperatures created by large piles can break down problematic materials.

Static Pile

This method of commercial composting is very much like the way you would compost at home. Waste is loosely piled and then layered with bulking agents to allow oxygen to permeate the pile. In larger facilities, a network of pipes will also blow air from the underside of the pile.

In-Vessel

This method of commercial composting is different from the other two, using anaerobic reactions to break down waste. Organics are placed in a drum or large silo and hermetically sealed, with mechanical mixing taking place periodically. In this carefully controlled environment, organics such as meat and bones can be processed.

In many cases, commercial compost piles will be covered in order to keep off excess rainwater, while pests and odors are kept to a minimum through careful management. The final product may be sold to consumers or used in municipality projects, creating truly circular waste management solutions for organic materials.

Challenges faced by commercial composting facilities in New York

Naturally, composting is always preferable to landfill, however, there are numerous challenges faced by the commercial composting industry that are not easily solved. New York, in particular, shares a fair amount of these challenges, and minimizing organic waste at the source should remain a priority. By doing this wherever possible, the DSNY has a much greater chance to surmount the following issues:

• Logistics &#; In New York, businesses are responsible for arranging the collection of their organic waste, however, residential citizens are not. In some cases, residents could be responsible for setting up their own composting services. If DSNY rolls out organics composting to certain neighborhoods for high rises, residents in smaller buildings or homes are encouraged to reach out to DSNY to see if they can sign up if their property manager agrees to allow it.
• Contaminated waste streams &#;Organics mixed with non-organic materials remains a problem for some commercial composting facilities. While New York has introduced infrastructure that leverages sorting technology to get rid of contaminants, not all facilities can sort materials effectively on commercial scales, and toxic or harmful products may end up mixed with the final compost.
• Location &#; While commercial composting facilities manage to minimize odor and pests to great effect, there may still be a problem if placed too close to human residence. They also take large amounts of space, so ensuring facilities are correctly located in built-up areas such as New York is problematic which is why NYC leverages additional processing methods for organic waste such as anaerobic digestion.
• Gasses and leachate &#; While composting is considered circular, it does still give off harmful gasses (CO2 and methane) and leachate, which can pollute groundwater, but are far less harmful than if it were in a landfill due to the presence of oxygen.

Composting conscientiously in NYC

Composting conscientiously in New York is extremely important. Education is perhaps the first place to start, and ensuring you are aware of what can and cannot be processed by your local commercial composting facility is vital. In addition, minimizing food waste wherever possible must always be the priority, helping to relieve the burden on commercial composting facilities while also making the best use of non-renewable resources.

For NYC-based businesses, remaining compliant and up to date with the latest regulations is also important, helping you and your staff efficiently deal with organic waste while ensuring you are not breaking the law. Additionally, partnering with responsible waste and recycling companies to distribute organic waste to the correct facilities while educating staff on best practice waste management should be a priority.

Composting remains an effective form of recycling and growing our capacity to compost organic waste is at the forefront of the zero waste movement across the entire country.

Want more information on how your business can improve composting and recycling rates?

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