Project Updates
ATTENTION COMMERCIAL FOOD-WASTE PRODUCERS!
Do you produce food waste on a commercial scale?
Interested in being part of the Food Waste Diversion Pilot Project?
Click here to take our easy survey
August 2011
HWMA works with Humboldt State University to get their food waste diversion program off the ground! As students return to campus, they will notice something different about their waste bins. Now along with plastic, glass, and aluminum recycling, students will be asked to separate their leftovers into containers specifically designated for compostable materials. HWMA is currently working in all campus kitchen, dining, and market facilities to divert food out of the waste stream; we are reconfiguring workspaces, implementing foodwaste/recycling/landfill signage, and working with Arcata Garbage to service the campus.
Check out this article!
August 2011
HWMA works with ESA, an environmental science and planning firm responsible for successfully training commercial business to divert food waste in the San Francisco Bay area. By touring Bay Area facilities, HWMA staff received firsthand experience in setting up commercial dining areas, kitchens, and outside waste enclosures to divert food waste for composting purposes. ESA then joined HWMA staff in Humboldt County to tour local businesses and identify opportunities for the pilot food waste diversion program! We met with several business owners and managers, and are excited to kick off the pilot!
July 2011
HWMA hires a new Food Waste Diversion Program Specialist!
The Specialist will assist HWMA and partner project managers in establishing a pilot food waste diversion program in Humboldt County, and help to create an inventory that quantifies and characterizes the County's existing food waste. The pilot program will involve recruiting and training commercial sector “early adopters” to try out the program, and assist in developing a public outreach and recognition campaign.
November 2010
HWMA,in partnership with Planwest Partners and Ourevolution Energy & Engineering, has completed the required California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)environmental impact study for the proposed Anaerobic Food Waste Digester. The Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration are available upon request, please contact HWMA at 707.268.8680.
June 2010
HWMA conducted a survey aimed at gauging interest in a Regional Food Waste Digester. This project would help divert waste from the waste stream, reduce disposal costs, and provide a variety of benefits to the community. If you are interested in participating, and produce food waste on a commercial scale, please click here to download and fill out the survey. The form provides for easy submission of the survey via email.
May 2010
Food Waste Diversion Feasibility Study now available!
Food Waste Diversion and Utilization in Humboldt County
The Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA)has prepared a report establishing the feasibility of developing a regional food waste diversion program in Humboldt County. The main objective of this effort is to develop a working model for regionalizing a food waste processing facility in order to address the diseconomies of scale often experienced by rural communities (i.e., those communities that have fewer resources with which to address environmental problems).
California state law AB 939 mandates that all jurisdictions in California divert 50% of
their waste stream away from the landfill by the year 2000. Although successful recycling,
hazardous waste, and composting programs have been developed in the County, some cities have yet to reach the 50% diversion target. According to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, food waste is the largest component of the remaining disposed waste stream comprising 20% of residential waste, and 34% of business waste disposed in Humboldt County. For the purpose of establishing a food waste diversion program, the economic and environmental impacts of a food waste digester was compared to in-vessel composting and continuing to haul waste to out-of-County landfills (380 miles round trip.A thorough economic analysis was undertaken to assess the feasibility of a regional food waste diversion program.