Planning for Organics Recycling in Urban and Regional Settings
Gregory McCarron
SCS Engineers
Suffern, New York
The NYC Compost Project Hosted by Big Reuse is a program funded by the New York City Department of Sanitation, which features a food scrap compost facility, located under the Queensboro Bridge. The compost facility usesthe GORE® Cover System technology, which isa covered aerated static pile (ASP) system. SCS Engineers (SCS) prepared a new facility layout, which will increase the processing capacity of the site to 1000 tons of food scraps annually.
The facility layout occupies a ½-acre parcel andincludes the following:
•Two (2) GORE® Cover Systems, approximately 20 feet by 50 feet (Phase 1).
•Windrow areas for Phase 2 and Phase 3 (uncovered).
•Stockpile areas for feedstock, and finished compost.
•Mobile equipment, including a skid-steer loader, mixer, screen and food scrap containers.
•Storage container.
•Working surfaces.
•Stormwater management features.
•Contact water management features.
Vector nuisancesand odor generation are minimizedthrough the use of the cover system and contact water iscollected. The GORE®Coversystem utilizes forced aeration, coupled with a semi-permeable membrane cover, to achieve a fully-encapsulated composting process.
The NYC Compost Project works to rebuild NYC’s soils by providing New Yorkers with the knowledge, skills,and opportunities they need to produce and use compost locally. The compost facilityis part ofthe NYC Compost Project, and part ofa community-scale composting networkin New York City. The finished compost is used in community gardens, on street trees, and in public beautification projects.
The following design and operational itemswill be presented:
1. Site layout.
2. Feedstock mixing.
3. Covered ASP system.
4. Open windrows.
5. Monitoring.
6. Screening.
7. Odor and contamination issues.
co-authors: Leah Retherford, Big ReUse, & Marguerite Manela of New York City DSNY