[Durham INC] Durham Receives Yard Waste Facility Permit

[Blalock, Amy]

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

 

 

News Release

 

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 11253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at durhamnc.gov

 

For Immediate Release:  June 11, 2010

 

 

City of Durham Receives State-Issued Yard Waste Facility Permit

NCDENR Permit Now Authorizes City to Operate Yard Waste Compost Facility

 

DURHAM, N.C. - The City of Durham now has a fully-permitted, new yard
waste compost facility and plans to start operations in less than two
weeks.

 

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Waste Management has issued the City a permit to operate a
Large, Type I Solid Waste Compost Facility.  Located on approximately
26.2 acres in the northeast section of the city, the $673,182 facility
now has improved composting and curing areas for processing collected
yard waste.  In addition, the facility also has a new two-acre retention
pond to collect stormwater run-off, making Durham the first municipality
in the State of North Carolina to incorporate this environmentally
responsible feature into a yard waste composting facility.

 

According to Donald Long, director of the City's Department of Solid
Waste Management, the new facility demonstrates the City's commitment to
environmentally sound yard waste disposal practices.  "My staff has been
working with NCDENR since 2006 to comply with stringent State
regulations for yard waste facilities," Long said.  "Our new facility
includes site modifications to better receive and process yard waste, a
stormwater run-off retention pond with zero-discharge, and improved
storage areas for composted materials.  Finally, we also have new
operating guidelines in place to ensure this facility fully meets the
needs of our customers and NCDENR from this point forward."

 

The City's Yard Waste Compost Facility was closed in September 2006,
after a fire occurred at the site and a notice of violation was received
from NCDENR due to an expired permit from July 2004.  Up until that
time, the facility had collected an estimated 800 tons of raw yard waste
per month from curbside collections.  Additionally, approximately 400
tons per month came from small businesses and citizens that brought
materials on-site.  

 

According to Long, the 2006 closure required the City to modify its
processes and procedures for accepting and processing yard waste and
prompted immediate action on the City's part to address the issues
outlined by NCDENR regarding permit renewal.  "We had to cease on-site
collection, processing, and storage of yard waste and begin transferring
materials to off-site facilities while we worked to meet NCDENR's strict
requirements to secure an operating permit," Long said.  "Now, I'm
thrilled to announce that we are no longer disposing of yard waste in a
Virginia landfill.  We actually began sending our yard waste to a
NCDENR-permitted site in April in anticipation of receiving our permit,
which came in on Wednesday, June 9.  We also have a processing contract
in place with so we can begin operations immediately."  

 

According to Long, despite the challenges in getting the new site
approved, the benefits to operating a yard waste compost facility
outweighed the construction and permitting challenges.  "In spite of the
initial costs, once operational, the facility will save our taxpayers on
landfill disposal fees.  In fact, we project that in less than three
years of operation, the money saved from landfill fees will cover the
design and construction expenses for the new facility," Long said.  

 

King & Martin, the contractor hired to operate the temporary yard waste
site, will also be responsible for operating the new permanent facility.
According to Long, the contractor plans to start small by hauling off
the material collected to then be used as boiler fuel or ground cover.
As operations expand, the collected yard waste will be converted to
mulch and compost on site - all far better than sending the material to
a land fill.  

 

"Right now, we're in the process of closing our temporary facility and
plan to open our permanent facility on June 21," Long said.  "We want to
obtain real-world experience on a small scale before moving to full
operation.  Our plan is to slowly phase in different yard waste
processes, such as mulching and composting on site, as we get more
experience with the particulars of the new facility.  Ultimately, it's a
good day for Durham, and for our environment, now that we can process
our yard waste again."  

 

About the Department of Solid Waste Management

The City of Durham's Department of Solid Waste Management promotes and
supports a high quality of life for the citizens of Durham by providing
comprehensive, responsive, environmentally-safe, efficient and
cost-effective solid waste collection, recycling and disposal programs.
Department services include roll-out cart collection, cart delivery and
repair service, dumpster collection, cardboard collection, yard waste
collection, waste reduction and recycling, bulky item pick-up, street
cleaning, and disposal services.  For more information, visit the City's
Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid
<http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid/> . 

 

###

 

News media interested in arranging a date and time to film or photograph
the new facility should contact Josephine Valencia, solid waste disposal
manager with the City's Department of Solid Waste Management, at (919)
560-4186 ext. 32253 or via e-mail at Josephine.Valencia at durhamnc.gov.

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