November 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 64

Operations

Why Waste?
By Elizabeth Lowell

W

hy waste? It's a question with an easy answer - throwing stuff
out means wasted money, wasted resources, wasted time and
wasted energy. Ditto to why we conserve. Most of us recognize
that the less we toss, the more we save, and the more we reduce and reuse,
the better off are our communities, not to mention the planet. But inevitably,
stuff still does wind up in the trash can, especially organic materials. How
can parks and recreation areas not only promote more sustainable waste
management but also reap the benefits - yes, BENEFITS - of turning organic waste into something more? And what in the world can rotten food do
to sustain and advance environmental preservation? New distributed waste
management technologies, like modular, scalable anaerobic digestion and
compost systems, offer a way forward in promoting conservation at a local
level while providing monetary and social benefits to the communities in
which they operate.
Organic Waste 101
First, what is organic waste, and what
exactly does anaerobic digestion and
composting actually do?
Organic waste is any carbon-based
material, but in particular, it means

common stuff we throw out, like
logs, grass, leaves, branches, banana peels, pizza crusts, egg shells
and coffee grounds.
Anaerobic digestion describes a process by which microorganisms, liv-

ing in an environment without oxygen, decompose organic waste. As
a byproduct, these microorganisms
burp out a gas called biogas, which
is a mixture of methane (natural
gas) and carbon dioxide. This biogas is a valuable and useful product
that can be converted into electricity,
heat, vehicle fuel or renewable natural gas.
Composting describes a similar process, but the microorganisms decomposing the organic waste live in an
oxygen-rich environment, and they
produce a nutrient-rich compost soil.
This compost contains macro- and
micronutrients that can be used by
plants - Mother Nature's fertilizer.
Compost also provides a great deal
of benefits to soil and landscape
health, promoting water retention
and reducing runoff, improving
drainage and rebuilding soil structure
lost over time. Composting may happen after anaerobic digestion, or be
implemented alone.
Distributed, small-scale anaerobic digestion and composting
technologies promote and enhance
these natural processes.
Wasting Away
National, state, county and community parks promote conservation
through the protection of open space
and natural landscapes and all the
ecological services such environments provide. Each and every visitor benefits from the experience of
entering such a space. But they leave
something behind, and managing the
impact of visitors is a major focus of
recreation stewards.

62	 Parks & Recreation

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November 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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