Feature: Sorting and separating urban organic waste-streams

Harvest Power is a US-based company specialising in converting organic materials into compost, mulch, clean energy and natural fertilisers. Here, director of Communications Meredith Sorensen looks at best practices for collecting and sorting urban organic feedstocks prior to anaerobic digestion.

Public-private partnerships help unlock organic diversion, bioenergy markets and soil fertility demands. Without this collaboration, development can get stuck in a chicken-and-egg situation: the public sector can’t begin to collect organic waste without a local processor; private industry doesn’t want to build (nor can it finance) a processing facility without a feedstock guarantee. A number of variables shape these partnerships, particularly around policies and permits. In regards to feedstock, the following practices support successful sorting:

1. Get aligned. Be clear about what materials the processor(s) can handle. Define these acceptance specifications early.
2. Support upstream. Give the upstream generators the tools they need to supply the desired feedstock. Best practices for sorting stations include:...
   
   
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