A Proposal for Comprehensive Solid Waste Management
on Martha's Vineyard
We know that recycling is woefully inadequate in most places, including the Vineyard.
This proposal calls for a system that requires minimal home separation,
and would result in nearly 100% recycling and re-use,
and it would all fit nicely on the large Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal site by the Airport.
This is what I propose for our community.
People divide their solid wastes into 4 categories :
1. Dry recyclables (paper, plastics, metals, glass) 2. Compostables (food, leaves, yard wastes)
3. Re-usables
4. Toxic materials
1. The Dry Recyclables
Clear algae-plastic bags (provided) with Category 1 waste materials get picked up at curbside and delivered to a Resource Separation Centers.
The bags are opened, emptied onto a conveyor belt and briefly checked. Cardboard and toxic materials are removed and the rest is conveyed upstairs to a bright clean sorting room.
Here, people sit at tables and pull their assigned categories off the conveyor belt and into chutes that lead to the processing room downstairs.
Metals and glass go through separate crushers that empty into trailers.
Paper and plastic are baled and stacked.
Less than 5% of the waste is non-recyclable and falls into a compactor at the end of the conveyor belt.
2. The Compostables
People put the wet compostable portion of their wastes into biodegradable algae-plastic bags. These are picked up at curbside and taken to a Composting Center.
Here the household compostables are shredded and mixed with shredded non-toxic municipal and commercial compostables, and landscape wastes. Septage pumped from home septic tanks is added to increase nutrient and moisture content.
This mix is conveyed into 10-yard drums (the kind used for cement mixing trucks), inoculated with beneficial organisms and redworms, and revolved for 10 minutes daily. The temperature quickly rises to 160º Fahrenheit (pasteurizing), soon with billions of mini, micro and nano critters and millions of redworms, and after two weeks, the mix is poured into rows outside, and left for final composting.
After 2 months with weekly turning of the rows, the finished compost is moved to a big pile, where it is then available for free to anyone who would like to enrich their soil for trees, shrubs and flowers (not for food gardens).
The truck on the lower right is emptying septage sludge directly into the enclosed solar-heated composting chamber. Woodchips are added and mixed in, and it quickly heats up to 160 degrees F (pastreurizing temperature).
The mix is rotated once a day by means of the screw auger that runs from one end to the other, and by the time the mix reaches the far end, it has been transformed into fine compost.
And, even though it has been pasteurized, I still do not recommend using it for your food garden, because it may still contain pharmaceuticals and toxins that you don't want to be absorbed into your food.
3. The Re-Usables
Items that could be reused are brought to a Re-Use Center: clothes, blankets, curtains, furniture, books, appliances, electronics, tools and gadgets, sewing and hobby stuff. Managers keep everything organized and clean. Items that are broken but fixable, such as lamps, furniture or appliances get repaired, and sold for a modest fee. Non-repairables are disassembled for total recycling.
Children’s books, toys, furniture and clothes are in an enclosed area in one corner of the building, which also opens onto an enclosed outdoor area. With a supervisor, children can safely play here while parents browse.
An area adjacent to this building is available for weekend flea markets. Unsold items can be left at the Re-Use Center.
Also adjacent is an expansive outdoor area for all kinds of reusable construction materials, well organized. Unseparated loads are weighed and charged fees sufficient to cover the salaries of the staff required to do the separation and organizing. No charge is levied on properly separated and deposited stuff. Categories include items such as: reusable lumber, kindling wood, particle board and plywood, sheetrock, insulation board, doors and windows, stoves, refrigerators, bathtubs and sinks.
4. The Toxic Stuff
This category is stored in a totally secure fire-proof, leak-proof building, and is therefore no longer a threat to our environment or our health. It will all stay here safely, until there's total and safe treatment available off-island for any of the categories.