Q&A
Plans for composting facilities and anaerobic digestion of organic waste
0:40:14
·
4 min
Council Member Abreu and DSNY officials discuss plans for composting facilities, anaerobic digestion, and the beneficial reuse of organic waste collected from residential sources.
- DSNY aims to maximize beneficial use of collected organic waste
- The Staten Island compost facility was recently expanded to accept 22,000% more food waste
- New contracts will increase the number of districts sending material for composting and decrease those sending to anaerobic digestion
- 19 of 59 community districts will send material for composting under new contracts
- The city does not plan to build more anaerobic digesters at this time
Shaun Abreu
0:40:14
Local law requires that the city's next local solid waste management plan emphasize reduced landfilling and incineration of organic waste.
0:40:21
How will the city maximize the beneficial reuse of organic waste from residential collections?
Joshua Goodman
0:40:28
So I'll talk about beneficial use in general, and then if you have anything to say about how it fits into this solvency management plan.
0:40:35
The goal of the program is always beneficial use, and you're like I would imagine going to ask later about our new composting processing contract.
Shaun Abreu
0:40:45
Yes.
0:40:45
But the goal of all of
Joshua Goodman
0:40:47
those contracts is beneficial use.
0:40:49
The beneficial use on the on the end use side is already maximized.
0:40:55
It's at well over 95%.
0:40:58
And the the point now is to increase the amount of total waste that's kept out of landfill and sent to that.
0:41:07
Once it's given to us as part of the curbside composting program, we feel very positively about the beneficial use number broadly, I'll talk a little bit more later about the breakdown between composting and anaerobic digestion.
0:41:18
Yes.
Shaun Abreu
0:41:18
Does the city plan to build more composting facilities?
Joshua Goodman
0:41:21
We recently completed a major expansion of the Staten Island compost facility.
0:41:26
It can now accept about 22,000 percent more food waste than it could prior to that expansion.
0:41:33
There's no plan to build an additional composting site at this time, but let me share something really quickly before council member in her sleeves because I know she's gonna be interested in this.
0:41:41
I'll just say it really fast.
0:41:42
I know you're about to ask about it.
0:41:45
The under the the new paradigm, we're putting in a place for the processing of organic material collected as part of the curbside composting program.
0:41:52
It drastically increases the number of districts where the material will be sent to be composted.
0:41:57
While decreasing the number of districts where it will go where it will go to be anaerobically digested at Newtown Creek.
0:42:03
Under the new contracts, material from approximately 1 third of New York City Community Districts, 19 of the 59, will be sent to be composted.
0:42:11
The number of districts sending material to Newtown Creek will decrease from 25 to 12.
0:42:16
Of course, the tonnage numbers are dependent on how much people put out.
0:42:19
We set up our system by community board.
0:42:21
But as I know this council has asked several times, the share of community districts sending material to be composted is growing substantially, and the amount sending material to New Ten Creek is falling by more than half.
Shaun Abreu
0:42:32
Does the city plan to build more anaerobic digesters?
0:42:36
No.
0:42:40
In 2023, DEP published a RFEI soliciting potential customers for bio digester methane.
0:42:49
Can you provide any updates pertaining to that solicitation?
Jennifer McDonnell
0:42:56
DP should provide the official update, but I am aware of the RFI process, and I believe that's just for the use of the gas that is produced at their digesters.
0:43:05
Which is produced regardless of whether or not food waste is added to the digesters.
0:43:09
They produce it from wastewater.
Shaun Abreu
0:43:11
That's fair.
0:43:12
We'll ask DP.
0:43:13
How will the city ensure that the food waste, which New Yorkers will work hard to separate and recycle, doesn't end up in a landfill.
0:43:22
Well, it doesn't end
Joshua Goodman
0:43:22
up in landfill, which is that great news.
0:43:25
Right?
0:43:25
The material is either composted into the soil finished compost to be used in in our gardens and parks.
0:43:34
The city has produced an average of about £42,000,000 per year over the last decade, and we expect that number to climb substantially or to heat and power homes, particularly in Brooklyn through anaerobic digestion.
0:43:47
That's fine.
0:43:50
You had to hand some makeup?
Jennifer McDonnell
0:43:53
I could add that the new contracts actually have a requirement that 90% of the material is beneficially reused after accounting for contamination.
Shaun Abreu
0:44:04
This July, we asked the mayor's office to help us learn how much it costs to run the city's anaerobic digesters.
0:44:10
We are still waiting for that information.
0:44:11
Does the agency have any in information to provide now.
Joshua Goodman
0:44:15
DEP runs the anaerobic digestion at Newtown Creek, so they would be best to answer that.
