MONROE - Green County Leaders offered an alternative plan to Monroe Common Council on Tuesday for a program originally developed to reduce food waste in landfills that went unrealized due to a lack of test participants.
A group from the 2015-2016 class of Green County Leaders developed the plan from August to May. In November, the Monroe Board of Public Works approved a pilot study for the proposed food waste recycling program to be conducted at West Win Heights, the 200 block of 3rd Avenue in Monroe. The goal was to reduce phosphorous levels in waste lines and possibly eliminate the need for $3 million to $4 million in improvements necessary to meet new guidelines required by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Food waste has been a large contributor to higher levels of phosphorous in the water supply. The DNR recently required the supplies be reduced to 0.75-percent phosphorous levels. Currently the city of Monroe has a rate of 1 percent.
Ideally, the plan would also reduce roughly 20 percent of the total annual garbage going to Janesville and gain another energy source if methane from the project were captured during the composting process. The Department of Public Works had moved forward with the idea by researching the process, even purchasing composting, "green" bags for willing participants to place their food waste in before disposing of it in a third 35-gallon bin. Participants would have also been provided with a waiver on their second-quarter garbage bill in 2016.
Green County Leader Jordan Nordby pointed out during the Monroe Common Council meeting Tuesday that there was interest in the proposal.
"People we spoke to love the idea of composting," Nordby said. "It seemed like people liked the idea, and the fact that it could be offered in a city like Monroe."
He added that three members of the five-person group who developed the project already compost themselves. With the city capable of composting up to 10,000 pounds of solid waste per day, there was excitement among all of those involved at the prospect of new energy and interested citizens.
Then the project hit a roadblock. The number of houses willing to do the initial study, just half of the proposed 36, did not provide enough food waste to feed the equipment used to grind the debris. City Administrator Phil Rath said the group had found genuine interest, but the city did not have the infrastructure to fulfill the plans on a small scale.
Now, Nordby, who is also the director of Main Street Monroe, said the city could take on a new idea. If it can identify a willing partner for the program, such as a local school or business, the bigger contributors could provide enough food waste to truly test the impact of the composting program.
"You really tie into corporate responsibility by reaching out to businesses," Nordby said. "It's super easy, even large-scale. If you keep breaking (food) down, there's actually not a lot that ends up in a landfill."
However, Director of Public Works Al Gerber said there is another problem with the proposed program. The bags used to hold the food did not break down in the digesters, even after a week. Any paper products or non-organic debris would cause an issue.
"If you want to do a program like this here, you want a very clean food product," he said.
The city decided to take the information into consideration and evaluate the program to better plan for its possible use in the future.
A group from the 2015-2016 class of Green County Leaders developed the plan from August to May. In November, the Monroe Board of Public Works approved a pilot study for the proposed food waste recycling program to be conducted at West Win Heights, the 200 block of 3rd Avenue in Monroe. The goal was to reduce phosphorous levels in waste lines and possibly eliminate the need for $3 million to $4 million in improvements necessary to meet new guidelines required by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Food waste has been a large contributor to higher levels of phosphorous in the water supply. The DNR recently required the supplies be reduced to 0.75-percent phosphorous levels. Currently the city of Monroe has a rate of 1 percent.
Ideally, the plan would also reduce roughly 20 percent of the total annual garbage going to Janesville and gain another energy source if methane from the project were captured during the composting process. The Department of Public Works had moved forward with the idea by researching the process, even purchasing composting, "green" bags for willing participants to place their food waste in before disposing of it in a third 35-gallon bin. Participants would have also been provided with a waiver on their second-quarter garbage bill in 2016.
Green County Leader Jordan Nordby pointed out during the Monroe Common Council meeting Tuesday that there was interest in the proposal.
"People we spoke to love the idea of composting," Nordby said. "It seemed like people liked the idea, and the fact that it could be offered in a city like Monroe."
He added that three members of the five-person group who developed the project already compost themselves. With the city capable of composting up to 10,000 pounds of solid waste per day, there was excitement among all of those involved at the prospect of new energy and interested citizens.
Then the project hit a roadblock. The number of houses willing to do the initial study, just half of the proposed 36, did not provide enough food waste to feed the equipment used to grind the debris. City Administrator Phil Rath said the group had found genuine interest, but the city did not have the infrastructure to fulfill the plans on a small scale.
Now, Nordby, who is also the director of Main Street Monroe, said the city could take on a new idea. If it can identify a willing partner for the program, such as a local school or business, the bigger contributors could provide enough food waste to truly test the impact of the composting program.
"You really tie into corporate responsibility by reaching out to businesses," Nordby said. "It's super easy, even large-scale. If you keep breaking (food) down, there's actually not a lot that ends up in a landfill."
However, Director of Public Works Al Gerber said there is another problem with the proposed program. The bags used to hold the food did not break down in the digesters, even after a week. Any paper products or non-organic debris would cause an issue.
"If you want to do a program like this here, you want a very clean food product," he said.
The city decided to take the information into consideration and evaluate the program to better plan for its possible use in the future.