Dive Brief:
- Oxnard, CA-based Agromin has opened a five-acre organics recycling site in Chino, CA, with the goal of producing 50,000 tons of 100% organic compost annually, according to a press release.
- The facility will receive green waste from customers in the California cities of Burbank, Corona, Eastvale, Norco, Riverside, and Mira Loma. Once the waste is received, Agromin separates non-recyclable materials and spreads the remaining waste into windrows — rows of cut hay — for composting.
- Through the composting process, Agromin will produce three products: Compost 100, a compost that is used for USDA-certified organic production; ES-2, a cover mulch for orchard applications and use in public works; and Garden Humus, a compost designed for sandy soils.
Dive Insight:
It is no surprise that the state of California will adopt this green waste facility into its system of so many anaerobic digesters and composters. Gov. Jerry Brown has even signed composting laws to help push California to its recycling goal of 75% by 2020. These include AB 876, which requires local government to make a 15-year plan to build infrastructure for composting and anaerobic digestion, and AB 199, which creates a sales-and-use tax exemption for businesses on the purchases of equipment used for recycling and composting.
"Residents who put their green waste into their recycling bins are enabling local farmers to grow organic, chemical-free produce," said Bill Camarillo, Agromin CEO, in the press release. "They are also helping cities to become more sustainable. Organic material that would have otherwise ended up in landfills emitting harmful gases will be transformed to become part of new residential and public landscaping."
The concept of composting helps combat the issue of food waste, which is plaguing both the food industry and waste industry. Recently, Waste Management and the Food Waste Reduction Alliance joined to offer "best practices" and outline how companies can conduct "waste characterization assessments" for their facilities.
