Well, of course, MRFs have been the key to Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) since the term was coined; otherwise, there’d be no reason to interrupt the flow from curbside to landfill other than to consolidate things and save a little wear and tear on collection vehicles. So why bring the subject up now?
It has to do with the 65% of stuff that bypassed the sieve and ended up going to the landfill because we had decided there was no reasonable use for it except possibly as compost.
Well, it’s the same stuff that been coming in for lo these many years before being sent to the landfill isn’t it? Why not just send it to some sort of energy-from-waste system minus the recyclables and be done with it? Well, you just might if you’re feeding a mass-burn incinerator that’s got a lot of latitude in its diet, but what if that’s not the way you want to go? Let’s suppose for an instant that you have a contract to provide a very specific feedstock for one of those CTs that are popping up like oxalis in your favorite field of clover. It’s here that sorting and processing reach a new level of precision, because most of these systems are very particular as to what materials they can live with…and this likely means increased investment, the prospect of which may not warm the cockles of your heart.
In my most recent Editor’s Comments, which went to the printer on Monday, I suggested a possible course of action that might help with funding, at the same time letting someone else worry about the type of CTs to invest in, limiting your responsibility to providing the feedstock. [If you can’t wait for the issue to mail, drop me a note at jtrotti@forester.net and I’ll respond with a copy.]
Change is a real hog-bear, but eventually you are going to have to choose whether you still intend to remain in the ISWM league and, if so, how you can fund the required programs.
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Upcoming Forester University Webinars
March 8th, 2012
Reducing Energy, Water, and Tax Bills for Facilities
Are you overpaying on your facility’s three largest variable costs: energy, water, and taxes? Join Fraser Allport, CEO, to explore how to reduce your facility’s utility and tax bills and future-proof for sustained performance by combing green technologies (green hardware and smart software) with government tax incentives in a cost-reduction action plan designed to obtain, quantifiable and sustainable resource and cost-savings results. Read more…
March 15th, 2012
BMP Management
for Surface Water Quality
Constantly influenced by natural eutrophication, direct human impact, and a changing climate, surface water is a scarce natural resource needing effective protection. Join Shahram (Shane) Missaghi to explore the function and benefits of BMPs in protecting surface water, and examine three key criteria to insure their successful implementation: water, soil, and climate Read more...
March 22nd, 2012
5 Proven Social Media Tactics to Engage Your Audience
Extend your outreach and campaign effectiveness with social media. Join Erica Hooper, Strategic Director at S. Groner Associates, to explore social media's (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) opportunities, myths, and real-world tested and proven social media tactics designed to engage your audience. Read more…