United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA909-B-00-001
May 2000
www.epa.gov
&EPA
EPA REGION 9
ecovere
Organic Materials
For every one-from government agencies to entreprenurs to homeowners
Wood Scraps Recovery
Information Resources
Food Scraps Recovery
Wastestream Percentages
The Value of Composting
Wood Scraps Reuse
The Future of Organics
Revenue Examples
Available Publications
Contact Information
rganic materials make up the bulk of America's dis
carded municipal solid waste (MSW) and includes
paper and paperboard, yard trimmings, food scraps, and
wood (see pie chart on page 2). Organic materials also
make up a large portion of waste not usually included in
MSW, such as construction and demolition debris, agricul
tural waste and food manufacturing/processing debris.
This factsheet presents organic material market develop
ment opportunities to business people who have potential
markets for these material, and federal, state and local
decisionmakers whose responsibilities include managing
organic materials. Organic materials are valuable resources!
EPA recommends they be reused and recycled to create
other products such as furniture, compost and mulch, or
used to generate energy before being sent to a landfill.
A significant portion of the national organic waste
stream (e.g., paperboard which includes newspaper,
office paper, and corrugated cardboard) is already being
recovered for reuse and recycling. This factsheet focuses
on the other organic wastestreams with high growth poten
tial for recovery—yard trimmings, food and wood scraps.
Some benefits of diverting
organic materials from landfills
• Potential savings on collection, disposal, and landfill costs.
• Revenue from selling new products.
• Extends landfill life by reducing amount of waste disposed.
• Fights global warming by reducing methane gas
generation and contributes to carbon sinks. Methane is
a powerful greenhouse gas and landfills are the single
largest source of methane in the U.S. Methane can be
controlled by reducing the anerobic decomposition of
organic materials. For more information on carbon
sinks see www.epa.gov/epaoswer/nonhw/muncpl/ghg/
greengas.pdf.
• Meets waste reduction/diversion goals.
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Food scraps- prevention first, recovery second
Food scraps accounted for nearly 22 million tons
of solid waste generation in 1997. The United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) found that more than one quarter of all food
produced for human consumption in America is currently discarded.
Businesses and institutions throughout the country—from supermar
kets and hospitals to government offices and schools—are designing
programs to help redirect food discards from the national waste stream.
Those with record setting food diversion programs are recovering 50
to 100% of their food discards and reducing their overall solid waste
by 33 to 85%. Businesses can practice food waste prevention, reuse
and recycling by improving portion control, recipe specifications,
handling, storage and serving procedures.
Benefits of Food Recovery
Food recovery programs not only benefit the environment by reducing
the waste stream, but they also offer social and economic benefits:
• Reducing trash collection and disposal fees.
• Providing food to the needy.
• Recovering the nutrient value of the food as compost or animal food.
Helping communities meet local and state waste reduction goals.
Sustaining local industries and jobs.
Creating a better image for businesses and soliciting community
participation.
Potential savings
• Donors save through avoided disposal costs and tax deductible
donations to food banks.
• Food service agencies buy less and save money.
• Farmers save on feed costs.
• Industries gain revenue from animal feed, food rendering or
compost operations.
For example, the San Francisco Food Bank collects over 37 tons of
edible food a month from wholesalers and distributes it to local ser
vice agencies. With tipping fees at $33/ton, this equals close to
$15,000/year in avoided disposal costs.
For more information on food recovery and how to volunteer or
donate food call USDA's 1-800-GLEANIThotline managed by the
World Hunger Year. @)
USDA/EPA food scraps hierarchy
With remaining food scraps, businesses can follow
the new USDA/EPAs food scraps hierarchy.
• Feed people-nonperishable and unspoiled per
ishable food can be donated to food banks,
soup kitchens, shelters, and other charitable
organizations,
• Feed animals-some types of food discards,
energy recovery and disposal
such as inedible produce, can be used as
animal feed or can be converted into a high
quality, pelletized pet food,
i Render the food-process meat products
into animal food, cosmetics, soap, and other
products, or
| Compost using worms.
Let the NATIONAL EPA WASTE MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY guide you in making decisions about managing organic materials in your community.
Organics as a Percentage of the Total Wastestream
Taken from "Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in The
United States: 1998 Update"
Types of Organic Materials in the Wastestream
Taken from "Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in The
United States: 1998 Update" (percentages based on total organic Wastestream)
RECOVERED ORGANIC MATERIALS
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The value of composting
Composting is the controlled biological decompo-
sition of organic matter, such as food, wood products,
and yard wastes, into a rich organic soil like material.
Composting helps keep high volumes of organic materials out of
landfills and turns them into useful products. Yard trimmings and
food residuals together constitute nearly 23% of the U.S. waste
stream. An estimated 41% of yard trimmings were recovered for com
posting or grasscycled (see box below) in 1997, a dramatic increase
from the 12% recovery rate in 1990. Accompanying this surge in yard
waste recovery is a composting industry that has grown from less
than 1,000 facilities in 1988 to nearly 3,300 in 1997. Once dominated
by public sector operations, the composting industry is increasingly
entrepreneurial and private sector driven, led by firms that add
value to compost products through processing and marketing.
Compost prices have been as high as $26 per ton for landscape
mulch to more than $100 per ton for high grade compost which
is bagged and sold at the retail level.
The benefits of compost
Erosion control, turf remediation, and landscaping. Compost
has been viewed as a valuable soil amendment for centuries. And
it is an effective way to improve plant growth. Compost enriched
soil can also reduce erosion and nutrient runoff, allevate soil com
paction and help soil retain water. Suggested markets include:
agriculture, forest management, sod production, residential
retail, nurseries, delivered topsoil, landscapers, landfill cover and
surface mine reclamation.
Reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization.
Original wetland plants can be restored with the use of compost
during planting. Compost adds the missing infrastructure, humus,
and nutrients that plants need to re establish themselves in eroded
areas and provides invigorated tree seedlings for survival and growth.
Compost, with its high organic content, can absorb up to four times
its weight in water and can replace essential organic materials in
wetlands. Suggested markets include: agriculture, forest manage
ment, landscaping and surface mine reclamation.
Save money, reduce use of pesticides, and conserve natural
resources. Professional growers are discovering that compost
enriched soil can help suppress diseases and ward off pests. It can
also help growers save money, cut their use of pesticides, and con
serve natural resources. Compost has been shown to enhance plant
survival and growth and stabilize soil for revegetation. In the poul
try industry, composting has also become a cost effective method of
mortality management. The process of composting destroys diseased
organisms and creates a nutrient rich compost. Suggested markets
include: agriculture, forest management, sod production, residential
retail, nurseries, delivered topsoil and landscapers.
Bioremediation and pollution prevention. Compost bioremedia
tion is currently being used to restore contaminated soils, manage
stormwater, control odors, and degrade volatile organic com
pounds (VOCs). It has proven effective in degrading or altering
many types of contaminants, such as chlorinated and nonchlori
nated hydrocardbons, wood preserving chemicals, solvents, heavy
metals, pesticides, petroleum products, and explosives. Compost
used in bioremediation is referred to as "tailored" or "designed"
compost in that it is specially made to treat specific contaminants
at specific sites. Suggested markets include: surface mine recla
mation, oil and fuel spills, roadside landscaping, and phytoreme
diation projects (the use of plants to remediate contaminated
soils).
Potential savings
Depending upon the type of waste and method of composting select
ed, average national savings over conventional disposal vary from $9
to $37 per cubic yard (see the Organic Material Management
Strategy for more information about costs/savings).
• Avoided disposal costs
• Revenue from selling compost, mulch, and soil blends.
For more information about composting, see EPA's composting
website at www.epa.gov/msw/compost.htm ig,
Scrap wood and plant trimmings reuse
Scrap wood comes from a variety of sources
including trim, shorts, and rejects from manu
facturers; scrap from construction sites; wood
recovered through building deconstruction or
demolition; general MSW wood waste; pallets
and crating; and tree removals. You can reuse
items as they are or remanufacture items to
a "like new" condition, or make into:
«Furniture and furnishings
(i.e., tables, dressers, chairs, stools,
boxes, shelves, spice racks)
• Flooring
• Lumber
• Compost bins
• Garden planter boxes
«Firewood
«Bird houses
Wooden toys
Animal bedding and litter
llets
Road stabilization material
Mulch in the form of grasscycling—
the process of leaving grass clippings
on the lawn, which acts as a fertilizer
Packaging filler
Art projects
RECOVERED ORGANIC MATERIALS
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Wood scraps - reuse and recycle
In 1997 scrap wood and plant trimmings
accounted for 27% of the organic wastestream.
Almost 70% was not recovered. Instead of sending them to
landfill, these materials can be reused , recycled, or composted
generating a host of environmental, financial, and social benefits.
Reuse means that the material is used over and over again in its
current form without breaking it down into a raw material.
Reuse also includes remanufacturing—which refers to restoring
used durable products to a "like new" condition. Scrap wood and
plant trimmings can be reused in a number of products—reused
in its original form, such as a pallet, or made into something new
without processing. Reuse, when possible, is preferable to recy
cling because it saves processing costs. Therefore, there are
potential energy savings if material is reused.
Recycling includes collecting recyclable materials that would
otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recy
clables into raw materials such as fibers, plastics, metals, and
glass and forming them into new products.
Benefits of reuse and recycling
• Saves energy
• Conserves natural resources
• Prevents emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants
• Supplies valuable raw materials to industry
• Recycling protects and expands U.S. manufacturing jobs
and increases U.S. competitiveness
• Stimulates the development of cleaner technologies
• Reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators
• Helps sustain the environment for future generations
Potential Savings
• avoided disposal costs
• revenue from selling products made with reused and recycled
organic materials.
Organic materials can be
• Compost
• Hydromulch
• Pulp/paper
• Aggregate blocks
• Concrete and wood mix
• Charcoal
• Landfill cover
• Animal bedding/litter
• Mulch
• Potting soil
recycled into a number of products:
• Pressed fuel products
(pellets and fire logs)
• Particleboard
• Playground cover material
Wood composites such as
hardboard, fiberboard, and
cement/fiber, gypsum/fiber,
and plastic/fiber
Loose fiber products (cellulose
insulation and molded pulp)
Get Involved! Here are some resources to get you started.
Organic Material Market Development Resources
- EPAs Jobs Through Recycling program, www.epa.gov/jtr.
- Materials for the Future Foundation, a non-profit market development organization.
Call (415) 561-6530 orvisitwww.materials4future.org.
- Clean Washington Center, a non-profit organization helping develop markets for recycled
materials through recycling technology and market development expertise and services.
Call (206) 464-7040 or visit www.cwc.org.
Food Recovery Resources
- USDAs toll-free hotline managed by the World Hunger Year. Call 1-800-GLEANIT for more
information.
- Foodchain, a non-profit organization that provides listings of local organizations that accept
donations and distribute to those in need. Call for listings in your area at 1-800-345-3008.
Wood Reuse/Recycling Resources
- USDAs Forest Products Laboratory conducts wood product research, www.fpl.fs.fed.us.
- USDA Agricultural Research Program. In particular see C.T. Donovan Associates, Inc.
A Sourcebook on Wood Waste Recovery and Recycling In the Southeast. Southeastern
Regional Biomass Program. June 1994. www.ars.usda.gov.
Composting Resources
- The U.S. Composting Council is a non-profit organization involved in research, public edu-
cation, composting, compost standards, and market development. Call 1-440-989-2748 or
visit www.compostingcouncil.org.
- BioCycle Magazine is a monthly journal of composting and recycling. Call 1-610-967-4135
or visit www.jgpress.com.
Climate Change/Greenhouse Gas Resources
- EPA's Climate Change, Methane and Other Greenhouse Gas website, www.epa.gov/ghginfo
- See EPA Office of Solid Waste publication, Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Management
of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste at www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/
muncpl/ghg/greengas.pdf.
Carbon Sequestration and Composting
- Get EPA Office of Solid Waste publication, Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Management
of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste at www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/
muncpl/ghg/greengas.pdf.
- The U.S. Composting Councils editorial on carbon sequestration.
www.compostingcouncil.org/directory/contributions.
Biobased Products and Bioenergy
- Executive Order 13134, Developing and Promoting Biobased Products and Bioenergy.
www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov.
- Executive Order 13101 Greening the Government Through Waste Prevention, Recycling,
and Federal Acquisition, which includes biobased products, www.ofee.gov.
- The Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization Corporation, www.usda.gov/aarc.
- USDA'sBiofuels Research Program located in the Agricultural Research Center.
www.nal.usda.gov/ttic/biofuels.htm.
- Department of Energy Regional Biomass Energy Program.
http://rredc.nrel.gov/biomass/doe/rbep.
- Department of Energjs Bioenergy website: www.eren.doe.gov/bioenergyjnitiative.
Landfill Bioreactors
- EPAs Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response website provides information on
landfill bioreactors and ongoing projects with EPA. They're at www.epa.gov/ooaujeag/
projectxl/yolo/page6.htm.
11.
RECOVERED ORGANIC MATERIALS
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What is in our future?
Organic material, orbiomass, has the potential to
be made into many other products. These products,
known as biobasedproducts, offer environmentally
friendly and organic-based alternatives to petroleum
and mineral-derived industrial products currently in
the marketplace. Some examples include chemicals, fibers, con
struction materials and energy sources. Development and commer
cialization of these biobased products provide new and expanded
markets while fostering rural/sustainable development. Many
biobased products can be composted at the end of their useful life!
When organic materials from the MSW wastestream cannot be reused
or recycled or composted, they may be burned with some fossil fuels to
produce energy. This process is known as co firing. Substituting a small
percentage of biomass for fossil fuel can help reduce greenhouse gasses.
Additionally, EPA is conducting research on new ways to capture
methane gas from landfills. One method is to make landfills large
bioreactor cells. Unlike conventional landfill practices that try to
keep waste dry, bioreactors focus on creating an optimal environ
ment for the microbes that break down organic material. Increasing
the rate and extent of waste decomposition may extend the life of a
landfill cell.
It can also improve the quality of leachate by reducing the concen
tration of organics and metals and enhance the rate of methane
generation. This may make waste energy gas recovery at existing
landfills more economical. «&:
Biofuels
Methanol, syngas, and ethanol are some of the fuels derived
from biomass materials. According to estimates by the U.S.
Department of Energy, biofuels could replace substantial
amounts of fossil fuels currently used to produce electric!
ty, thermal energy, or transportation fuel. Biomass has the
potential to be used as feedstock for methanol, syngas,
and ethanol production. Wood waste is a major feedstock
in both short- and long-term forecasts of biofuels. Note
that pollution and emissions associated with these fuels
need additional research. For more information on biofu
els visit www.nal.usda.gov/ttic/biofuels/usdabio.htm.
Biobased products
A biobased product is commercial or industrial product,
other than food or feed, that uses biological products or
renewable domestic agriculture (plant, animal and marine)
or forestry materials
' Absorbents/adsorbents
' Adhesives/inks/coatings
' Alternative fuels and fuel
additives such as biodiesel,
ethanol, and methane
«Construction materials/com
posites such as structural
biopolymers and packaging
materials
1 Lubricants/functional fluids
1 Renewable alternative fiber
Solvents/cleaners/
surfactants
Plant based plastics/
degradable polymers/films
Landscaping products
Bioremediation products
New fibers/filler/yarn/
insulation
Enzymes/intermediate
chemicals such as ethylene,
fatty acids, acetic acid,
leuvulenic acid, and rubber
papers/packaging
For more information on biobased products visit
www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/index.htm.
Examples of revenue from enterprises using recycled wood and organics
Reclaimed lumber competes directly with virgin lumber in many cases, so prices will track virgin lumber prices closly.
Reclaimed lumber is often of better quality than lumber on the market, and can command higher prices—between 5-15%
Product
Approximate market value
Compost
Soil Blends
50 thick, 24 x 24maple laminated wood blocks,
10 thick, 9x 12maple cutting board
Hardwood tables
Hardwood jewelry holders with three to four racks
Oak spice racks, two levels, and 120 long
Cup or coat racks
Step stools
Wood flooring (4-6widths)
Planter boxes
$10 - $35 per ton
$23 - $35 per ton
$300 (depending on the quality and finishing)
$10
in the hundreds
$16-$29
$29 (depending on the length)
$20-$40
$15-$40
$1.50-$4.00 per ft.
$10-$50
Note: Quotes are estimates. Retail may be higher.
From "Manufacturing with Reused and Recycled Materials: Fifty Small Business Opportunities", a Materials For The Future Foundation publication.
RECOVERED ORGANIC MATERIALS
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Available EPA publications
Below is a sample of EPA organic material management publications available free of charge.
These and other publications may also be available by calling the RCRA Hotline at 1 800 424 9346
(please have the publication number ready) or many can be downloaded from the EPA website at
www.epa.gov/compost or www.epa.gov/msw/compost.
An Analysis of Composting as an Environmental Remediation Technology, Pub J EPA530-R-98-008
Biosolids Generation, Use and Disposal, Pub #EPA530-R-99-009
Composting, Yard Trimmings, and Municipal Solid Waste, Pub J EPA530-R-94-003
Doing What it Takes to Be WasteWi$e, call 1-800-EPA-WISE
Don't Throw Away That Food: Strategies for Record-Setting Waste Reduction, Pub J EPA530-F-98-023
Environmental Fact Sheet: Recycling Grass Clippings. Pub # EPA530-F-92-012
Environmental Fact Sheet: Yard Waste Composting, PubJ EPA530-SW-91-009
Innovative Uses of Compost: Disease Control for Plants and Animals, PubJ EPA530-F-97-044
Innovative Uses of Compost: Reforestation, Wetlands Restoration, and Habitat Revitalization, PubJ EPA530-F-97-046
Innovative Uses of Compost: Composting of Soils Contaminated by Explosives, PubJ EPA530-F-97-045
Innovative Uses of Compost: Bioremediation and Pollution Prevention, PubJ EPA530-F-97-042
Innovative Uses of Compost: Erosion Control, Turf Remediation, and Landscaping, PubJ EPA530-F-97-043
Markets for Compost, PubJ EPA530-SW-90-073
Organic Materials Management Strategies, PubJ EPA530-R-99-016
Source Reduction Program Potential Manual: A Planning Tool, PubJ EPA530-R-97-002
The Effects of Composted Organic Materials on the Growth Factors for Hardwood and Softwood Tree Seedlings,
see www.epa.gov/msw/compost
Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Composting: Lessons from 30 Communities, PubJ EPA530-R-92-015
Waste Not, Want Not: Feeding the Hungry and Reducing Solid Waste Through Food Recovery, PubJ EPA530-R-99-040
WasteWi$e Tip Sheet: Donating Surplus Food to the Needy, PubJ EPA530-F-96-038
WasteWi$e Tip Sheet: Managing Food Scraps as Animal Feed, PubJ EPA530-F-96-037
WasteWi$e Update: Recovering Organic Wastes 0 Giving Back to Mother Nature, PubJ EPA530-N-99-007
WasteWi$e Update: Remanufactured Products: Good as New, PubJ EPA530-N-97-002
Resources for YOU
The following are groups of publications that compliment each other relative to specific industries.
Feel free to order as many as you like. Please refer to the publication numbers above when ordering.
Federal Government
Analysis of Composting As an Environmental Remediation Technology Innovative Uses
of Compost series The Effects of Composted Organic Materials on the Growth Factors for
Hardwood and Softwood Tree Seedlings Waste Not, Want Not; Feeding the Hungry and Reducing
Solid Waste Through Food Recovery WasteWi$e Updates and Tip Sheets.
State Government An Analysis of Composting As an Environmental Remediation Technology Composting, Yard
Trimmings and Municipal Solid Waste Don't Throw Away That Food Innovative Uses of Compost
series Markets for Compost Organic Materials Management Strategies Source Reduction
Program Potential Manual Waste Prevention, Recycling and Composting: Lessons from 30
Communities Waste Not, Want Not.
Local Government Composting, Yard Trimmings and Municipal Solid Waste Don't Throw Away That Food,
Environmental Fact Sheets Organic Material Management Strategies Source Reduction Program
Potential Manual Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Compostings: Lessons from 30 Communities
Business Don't Throw Away that Food Markets for Compost Organic Material Management
Strategies Waste Not, Want Not WasteWi$e Updates and Tip sheets Doing what it Takes
to be WasteWi$e; Food Manuracturing/Processing Industry.
Gardener/Landscaper
Homeowner
Environmental Fact Sheets Innovative Uses of Compost: Disease Control for Plants and Animals,
Innovative Uses of Compost Erosion Control, Turf Remediation, and landscaping The Effects of
Composted Organic Materials on the Growth Factors for Hardwood and Softwood Tree Seedlings.
Environmental Fact Sheets
For Further Information
contact your Regional EPA
Organics office:
US EPA Region 1
Solid Waste Reduction and Global Climate
Change Program
One Congress Street (SPP), Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023
(617) 918-1790
US EPA Region 2
Solid Waste Program
290 Broadway
New York, NY 10007-1866
(212) 237-4183
US EPA Region 3
Solid Waste Program
1650 Arch Street, (3WC21)
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029
(215) 814-5000
US EPA Region 4
Solid Waste Program
Sam Nunn AFC, 10th Floor
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303-8960
(414)562-84557
US EPA Region 5
Pollution Prevention and Program Initiative
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
(312) 866-3584
US EPA Region 6
UST/Solid Waste Program
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas, TX 75202-2733
(214) 655-6760
US EPA Region 7
Solid Waste and Pollution Prevention Program
901 North Fifth Street
Kansas City, KS 66101-2798
(913) 551-7496
US EPA Region 8
Pollution Prevention and Waste Program
99918th Street Suite 500
Denver, CO 80202-2405
(303) 312-6312
US EPA Region 9
Solid Waste Program
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 744-2134
US EPA Region 10
Office of Waste and Chemicals Management
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101-3123
(206) 553-1200
EPA Headquarters
Municipal Solid Waste Program
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20406
(703) 308-8254
EPA Region 9 thanks the organic material management workgroup for their comments on this factsheet.
RECOVERED ORGANIC MATERIALS
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