A new machine in Muscatine separated unused food and packaging so the organic waste can be used for renewable energy.
It’s part of the city of Muscatine’s waste to renewable energy project. After the waste is separated, it is put in anaerobic digesters to make fertilizer and natural gas.
“Almost 30 percent of everything in the landfill is organic waste. A lot of that is food waste,” Jon Koch, Director of the Muscatine Water & Resource Recovery Facility, said, “we said hey, if we can take that organic waste going to a landfill and add to our process at the wastewater plant, we’d make a lot more energy. A lot more gas.”
The organic waste, which would normally be sent to a landfill where it would produce methane and greenhouse gases, is being reused. Companies with excess product, which might be expired or inedible, are now bringing it to Muscatine.
“We can actually take that product and get the organics out of the packaging and take it down here to our digestors where we’ll make bio-gas and energy out of it,” Koch said.
The organic waste inside the packaging is dropped into the high strength waste separator. One example is excess ketchup packets and bottles.
“When the material enters the machine, it just kind of strikes the product. It doesn’t shred it. The centrifugal force of whirling that product around in that machine releases the product into it,” Koch said.
Once separated, the waste falls into a container below, and the packaging is removed. That material then gets pumped into a tanker and brought to the waste water plant. From there it is put in the anaerobic digestors.
Manufacturing companies and grocery stores are now able to take advantage of the machine, instead of sending their product to the landfill.
“They want to say that they have not sent this material to landfill. First thing they want to do, and always try to do, is donate it. When they can’t do that because it’s either unsafe or there’s just so much of it, then they can bring it to us,” Koch said.
Businesses interested in the separator, which was built in Minnesota, reaches beyond the Quad Cities Area because it is the first of its kind in the Midwest.
“Muscatine is really doing something unique. It’s here. And we don’t have to send stuff out of state. Most manufacturers in the area, if they want to do this right now, they have to send it this material out of state. Muscatine is just kind of a small community, but I think we’re going to do big things,” Koch said.
The $3 million project was funded through the Muscatine Water & Resource Recovery Facility reserve fund. The fees associated with manufacturers dropping off their waste will replenish the fund, and then create a revenue source.
