Waste can be broadly categorized into organic and inorganic fractions. Four significant components of this organic, biodegradable stream are from food preparation, agricultural production, livestock manures, and municipal sewage sludge.
TerraBioGen’s organic waste management solution can effectively process all of these waste streams; rapidly and economically converting them to marketable forms within one week using its patented bioconversion process, creating uniform and consistent products for commercial agriculture.
Organic Waste Concerns:
Food Waste
Organic waste from food sources includes vegetables, fruits, grains, meats, fish, dairy products, etc., and constitutes some 18% of the typical municipal organic waste stream. An average of 1 kg per person per day of organic waste is produced, originating from households, wholesalers & processors, restaurants, and institutions.
Urban centers are the major generators of organic food waste and as a result have the largest disposal problems. The following are typical municipal production rates:
| City | Organic Waste Generated (tonnes per day) |
| Metropolitan New York | 11,000 |
| Greater Toronto | 5,800 |
| Greater Vancouver | 2,700 |
The costs of organic waste management planning and implementation continues to increase. Current waste disposal options (landfills, incineration, waste to energy and composting) have their limitations and their own environmental problems:
Problems with Landfills
- Nearing capacity
- Toxic leachate & water issues
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Odours
- Vector attraction
- Public resistance to new sites
- Limited land available
Existing landfills are nearing capacity and siting new landfills is an ongoing challenge, along with high development costs. Transporting waste to more remote places for disposal is a temporary and expensive solution for many urban centers yet municipalities have been slow to introduce new environmental technologies.
Problems with Incineration
- Residue problems
- Air pollution
- Destruction of nutrients and organic matter with little to no recovery
- Concentration of heavy metals
- Odour emissions
- High energy usage
Problems with Composting
- Large area required
- Long processing and curing time
- Ineffective pathogen removal
- Vector attraction
- Inconsistent and bulky, low value product
- Concentration of contaminants
Problems with Waste-to-Energy
- Uneconomic residual
- Marginal economics
- Sustainability of process
- Susceptible to seasonal weather changes
While recycling and recovery programs for inorganics such as paper, glass, metals, and plastics have been implemented successfully, biodegradables continue to threaten the environment as the ratio of organic to inorganic materials in landfills increase.
Agricultural Waste
Recently, there have been many environmental and health concerns over the disposal of agricultural manures from industrial farms. High concentration of livestock waste in farm areas has resulted in contamination of aquifers and wells that supply drinking water to surrounding communities. Improper disposal of manures has been linked to numerous deaths and illnesses due to:
- High concentrations in small areas
- Presence of deadly pathogens (E. coli, etc.) that can poison drinking water
- Land spreading that pollutes streams and aquifers with nitrates and phosphates
Municipal Sewage Sludge
In many jurisdictions the waste management of municipal sewage sludge do not pose the same risks as livestock waste, as it is usually treated before disposal, however, some real concerns and public perception problems still remain over the safety of the final product due to:
- Concentration of heavy metals
- Pathogens
Conclusion
Governments, producers, and society need an organic waste disposal solution that is economic, efficient, and doesn’t add further environmental pressures to the growing world. Practical solutions are required to the problems caused by intensive farming practices, and the increasing dependency on agro-chemical inputs.
For those seeking an effective organic waste management solution to cope with increasing volumes of biodegradable waste and sludge, TerraBioGen offers a unique and effective solution.
Organic Waste Management Solution
Until now, traditional methods of treating biodegradables have been unable to effectively process waste containing high quantities of contaminants. TerraBioGen’s EATAD technology effectively processes wet organic waste, reducing the negative environmental impacts created by decomposing organic matter in landfills. TerraBioGen’s bioconversion process is remarkable in its ability to continually and successfully process organic waste materials with up to 10% non-biodegradables in its mix. The resulting products are clean, uniform, and pathogen-free for use in commercial agriculture.
