Rules seek to reduce organic waste in landfills

With more than 1 million tons of food waste and other organic materials going to landfills in Massachusetts, the Department of Environmental Protection on Nov. 23 issued regulations intended to divert this waste to renewable energy production and composting.

The new rules seek to encourage commercial and industrial generators of organic waste to use anaerobic digestion to turn the waste into a biogas that can be used for heat and electricity generation.

Greg Cooper, deputy director of consumer programs for the DEP, told the MMA’s Policy Committee on Energy and the Environment on Nov. 14 that the rules would streamline the permitting process for the construction of new anaerobic facilities and the upgrade of wastewater treatment plants to allow them to use food waste and organic material for energy production.

According to Cooper, the DEP anticipates a landfill ban for organics from large producers and institutions in 2014. The state will be working to build the capacity of waste management firms to collect organic materials and reduce reliance on disposal.

Municipalities may take advantage of the new rules by constructing new anaerobic digestion facilities or by adding their materials to a wastewater treatment plant or other anaerobic digestion unit accepting organics.

Feasibility studies and grants for anaerobic digestion projects are available from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

An energy bill enacted last summer provides financial incentives – as are available to other renewable energy sources – for electricity generated by anaerobic digestion. The law also raised the “net metering” cap for municipalities from 2 percent to 3 percent.