Compost Matters was a one-day conference that looked at the current state of composting in the Delaware Valley. With a focus on new developments in food-waste composting practices, the forum brought together innovators, policy makers, and visionaries in the field, examining current barriers to food waste recovery, public policy issues, and successful models from the region and around the state. The conference was geared toward sustainability professionals from local governments, institutions, and businesses; municipal and state officials; and the interested public. Participants learned about current opportunities for composting food waste and how to include food recovery efforts in their operations.
Keynote speaker Will Allen received a MacArthur “Genius Grant” in 2008 for his efforts to promote sustainable farming in low-income neighborhoods. Allen is CEO of Growing Power, a national nonprofit organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that supports the development of community food systems. Read a BioCycle magazine article on Will Allen.
A food waste recovery infrastructure is beginning to emerge in southeastern Pennsylvania thanks to:
The opening of the Peninsula Compost Group facility in Wilmington, Delaware. According to BioCycle magazine, when operating at full capacity (500 tons per day) the Wilmington Organic Recycling Center “will be one of the largest source-separated organics composting facilities in the U.S.”
On-farm composting at Two Particular Acres and growing interest among other local farmers. Two Particular Acres was one of the first food waste composting facilities in southeastern Pennsylvania, providing leadership to farm-based composting throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Use of in-vessel composting units, including the Moravian Court Earth Tubs. Funded by the PA Department of Environmental Protection and the University of Pennsylvania, the Earth Tub project at Moravian Court is the first and only on-site, in-vessel composting system serving commercial businesses in Pennsylvania.
Special thanks to our outreach partner, the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia,
for its valuable support in promoting this event.
A farmer and community activist, Will Allen is founder and chief executive officer of Growing Power, a national nonprofit organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that supports the development of community food systems. With over 50 years experience in farming, marketing and distributing food, Allen shares this knowledge with youth, adults, community groups, immigrants, farmers, and consumers. Known as an innovator and creator of food systems, Allen was awarded a MacArthur “Genius Grant” in 2008 for his efforts to promote sustainable farming in low-income neighborhoods.
Patti Olenick and Carl Hursh
During her 20 years with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Patti Olenick has been developing a comprehensive compost program that includes backyard compost education initiatives, technical and financial assistance to local governments and private companies, and outreach and education to increase organics recycling. Olenick is certified by the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania and is active on the PROP Organics and Certification committees.
Carl Hursh is a composting instructor for the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania. As the waste reduction and recycling coordinator for the PA Department of Environmental Protection, he has advanced composting on the home, municipal, institutional, and private-sector fronts and has been active in promoting food waste diversion projects.
Nelson Widell
Co-founder of Peninsula Compost Group, Nelson Widell has over 30 years experience in the composting industry. He is a founding member of the US Composting Council and co-founder of the Bedminster Bioconversion Company. Widell has developed and constructed 12 co-composting facilities in the United States and overseas using the patented Bedminster Bioconversion rotary drum process.
Ned Foley
Ned Foley raises a variety of crops on his small family farm, Two Particular Acres, located in western Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Foley and his wife, Gail, were awarded the first On-Farm Compost Permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The farm accepts pre-consumer food waste from nearby restaurants, hospitals, and supermarkets.
Marvin Dixon
Marvin Dixon is director of engineering for the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. Dixon
implemented a composting system for the hotel, reducing landfill waste by 47 percent in three years. Under his management, the hotel installed the city’s first microturbine CHP system (combined heat and power), which captures waste heat for re-use.
Maurice M. Sampson II
Maurice M. Sampson II is a sustainable waste management expert with 40 years experience as a recycling advocate and consultant. As president and CEO of Niche Recycling, Inc., Sampson oversaw installation of the region's first, on-site, in-vessel composting unit, the "Earth Tub" to service food waste from several West Philadelphia restaurants including the White Dog Café. Sampson also serves as chair for the RecycleNOW Philadelphia Campaign.
Mark Highland
Mark Highland served as compost and soil specialist at Longwood Gardens before starting the Organic Mechanics Soil Company, LLC. He frequently lectures at public gardens, conferences, and private events. Highland is a consultant for the EPA, helping farms compost food waste to reduce the amount of organic materials entering landfills in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Mike Giuranna
Mike Giuranna is a solid waste specialist with EPA's Region III Office (which encompasses Delaware, Washington DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia). Through the Mid-Atlantic Consortium of Recycling and Economic Development Officials (MACREDO), he works to develop markets for recyclables, promote the composting of food waste, and improve the composting infrastructure in the Mid Atlantic region.
Katherine Gajewski
As director of sustainability for the City of Philadelphia, Katherine Gajewski is responsible for implementing Greenworks Philadelphia, the city’s comprehensive sustainability plan. Grajewski has served as an advisor to the Nutter Administration on a wide range of policy issues, with a focus on sustainability. She was campaign coordinator for the Breathe Free Philadelphia Alliance, which led the successful campaign to pass smoke-free legislation in Philadelphia.
Rhodes Yepsen
Rhodes Yepsen is an organics recycling consultant and environmental writer. A graduate of Oberlin College, he is the former associate editor of Biocycle magazine. His website and blog, thecompostpile.info, contains news and articles on composting, renewable energy, and sustainability.
Best Management Practices for Incorporating Food Residuals into Existing Yard Waste Composting Operations, US Composting Council www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/pdf/FR2YW_BMP.pdf
