Organics Management – Food Scrap Composting and CD Waste Recycling/Processing Feasibility Study, Toledo, Ohio

The City of Toledo, Ohio, retained SCS Engineers to conduct an economic and technical feasibility study for development of organics processing facilities and construction and demolition (C&D) recycling/processing facilities. The City and its partner, the University of Toledo, wanted to boost their recycling of several different waste materials including:

• Leaves and green waste
• Food scraps
• C&D debris

SCS Engineers was commissioned to assess the feasibility of the following:

• Quantity of food scrap waste available and its sources in the region
• Companies that were collecting food and assessing pricing for feedstock
• Requirements to upgrade basic leaf composting sites into leaf, green waste and food composting sites
• Assessing several other sites for expanded operations; including site limitations, advantages and disadvantages
• Assessing technologies including; open windrow, aerated static pile (ASP) and anaerobic digesters
• Anaerobic digester biogas volume, treatment, uses and feasibility of storage and transportation by rail or tanker truck
• Transportation of anaerobic digester biogas by pipeline
• Assessing markets for compost: customers, locations, volumes, quality and pricing
• The City potentially operating a demolition concrete recycling operation
• Development of economic pro-formas for each scenario involving composting, anaerobic digesters and C&D recycling

A full report was prepared for our client.  SCS Engineers made two in-person presentations to the City.