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Opportunities and Barriers… Zero Waste Strategies for Food Scraps and Other Organics

Opportunities and Barriers… Zero Waste Strategies for Food Scraps and Other Organics. 3rd Annual Orange County " Zero in on Zero Waste - Don't let your Bottom Line go to Waste" Business Conference. Rich Flammer, Composting Consultant. June 26, 2008 • Ford Motor Company • Irvine, CA.

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Opportunities and Barriers… Zero Waste Strategies for Food Scraps and Other Organics

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  1. Opportunities and Barriers… Zero Waste Strategies for Food Scraps and Other Organics 3rd Annual Orange County " Zero in on Zero Waste - Don't let your Bottom Line go to Waste" Business Conference Rich Flammer, Composting Consultant June 26, 2008 • Ford Motor Company • Irvine, CA

  2. Challenges….

  3. Permitting

  4. • Local land use rules and zoning - CUP • CEQA • AQMD (RULE 1133) • Water Board • CIWMB permit

  5. “I’d like to compost on my farm, what do I need to do…”

  6. Public perception and NIMBY (includes local planners)

  7. Lack of coordination between generators, planners, and resource managers

  8. Not enough processors… 9 Permitted Compost Facilities in Orange County, 6 Chip & Grind (None permitted nor in the development stage for food residuals)

  9. Lack of a strategic investment

  10. Competing land use… 160 acres dedicated to local food production eaten by a single mouse…

  11. Agriculture in Orange County Today • Contributes more than $300 million to the local economy • With all economics factored in, total value of $1 billion • From 2000 to 2002 alone, prime farmland in Orange • County reduced by 8,530 acres (approximately 17 percent) • The Orange County Board of Supervisors did not • designate any farmland as being of “Local Importance” Sources: Orange County Farm Bureau State of California Department of Conservation • Farmland Mapping & Monitoring Program

  12. Still Worth Fighting For… • Improved soil • Logistics • Built-in resources • Improved crop yields • Water conservation • Markets for end-products • Transition to organic growing • Highest and best use of organics • Diversified agricultural revenue streams • Preservation of both farming and organics processing industries

  13. Solutions…

  14. Hierarchy of Options Source reduction (methods to prevent wasted food and other discards) Donation to food banks (feed people) Onsite composting or other processing technology Collection for delivery to farms (feed animals) Collection for delivery to farms (direct land application) Collection for centralized facility creating fertilizers, soil amendments (composting) or mulches

  15. Source Reduction Red Lobster switched from paper to cloth napkins and diverted more than 23,000 tons of paper from the landfill annually Wendy’s stopped printing on their paper napkins and diverted 28 tons a year; Changes in packaging of pickles, mustard and mayonnaise diverted an additional 500 tons annually McDonalds switched from bags to cartons for its hash browns and realized a 74% decrease in paper usage, keeping 1,700 tons of material from becoming waste

  16. Peerless Coffee and Tea One change of coffee packaging machines and reduced the amount of Mylar waste by 95 percent and saves $100,000 annually in reduced packaging supply costs Ghirardelli Chocolate Company One change going from cardboard boxes to durable totes cut annual packaging costs by $520,000, and prevents 350 tons of soiled cardboard waste each year

  17. Food Donation • From fiscal year 2000, approximately 10,614 tons of food recovered • Oregon Food Bank estimates 2,122 tons would have been landfilled • From 1999 to 2005, nearly $700,000 in grants from Portland Metro • Estimated additional food recovery as a result of the grant program was 9,000 tons annually

  18. On-site Composting

  19. A look at one of the high tech food scrap processing units Princeton University has been using for the past 12 years…

  20. Cost: $12/day (Savings of over $20,000 each year)

  21. Comprehensive Programs: Organics diversion on the Hawaiian Islands Foodland Super Market, Ltd. 30 stores on four islands • 450 tons of meat and seafood a year diverted from 19 Oahu stores to be converted into agricultural feed • 335 tons a year of produce scraps diverted from 14 stores to pig farmers • Over 45 tons of food a year donated to the Hawaii Food Bank

  22. Buy local produce… • Orange County Farm Bureau Sponsored Certified Farmers' Markets • Irvine • Tustin • Costa Mesa • Orange • Laguna Hills • Huntington Beach • Laguna Beach • Irvine • Laguna Niguel

  23. Explore the Opportunities… • Multitude of methods for source reduction/composting • Multi-faceted approaches ensure success • Consider on-site options • Landfill diversion = cost savings • Environmental sustainability = economic sustainability • Support local agriculture • Vote for candidates who support sustainability (if you can find any) Thanks for listening! Rich Flammer Hidden Resources www.compostingconsultant.com (619) 758-0726

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