Newby Island Compost Facility

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Newby Island Compost Facility

• A photo analysis of an active compost operation

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Newby Island compost facility background

• Designed by MRI principal (William Shreeder)
• Operates primarily using open windrow and some
  ASP technology

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Fantasy marketed by MRI
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Now, for the reality

• Composting, while a highly effective and useful
  means of diverting organics from landfills, is
  NOT a pretty, clean, or pleasant process on the
  scale being proposed (600 tons/day)

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Receiving area
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Receiving area, trash
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Receiving area, more trash
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Receiving area, yet even more trash
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Receiving area attracting gulls
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Receiving area what, more trash?
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Receiving area does this look like a green
operation to you??
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Reality check 1

• Just based on the receiving area, ask yourself
  Does this look like a green operation as being
  touted or does it look more like a landfill
  operation?
• And Does it look like the operator is doing an
  effective job at refusing loads that contain
  non-compostable material, as is claimed would
  occur?
• The trash shown is lt ½ of the proposed amount
  that would be trucked to Sunol every day

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Next up curing piles and processing area

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Visualize the scale of this operation and this
is only ½ of it
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Trucks and loaders - everywhere
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Heres what ground up trash looks like in compost
piles
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Compost too much water MUCK
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Ad-hoc processing area, complete with standing
water
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Shuffling the muck around
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More muck
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Muck conveying
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Reality Check 2

• Given the sort of weather the Bay Area has had in
  recent years, does anyone really believe that
  with the technology being proposed (uncovered
  ASP) all of the incoming feedstock will result in
  marketable compost or will we end up with 1000s
  of tons of muck, that needs to be hauled away and
  landfilled?

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Standing water mosquitoes West Nile?
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Finished product, turning into muck
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More finished muck
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Another special treat - roadside trash
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Summary

• Composting is good, however
• An operation to handle the scale that Alameda
  County requires a location that is appropriate
  for siting of a landfill or other heavy
  industrial type of activity
• The amount of food waste feedstock at Newby
  Island is lt ½ of the proposed levels for Sunol -
  that amount of rotting trash is consistent with
  a landfill operation, not a green yard waste
  compost operation

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These two do not belong together
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The End?