Sludge as a Benefit
A Program for Beneficial Reuse*
DEP's 14 wastewater treatment plants handle an average of 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater every day, which generate approximately 1,200 tons per day of solid byproducts that are also known as biosolids or treated sludge. Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland today announced the selection of WeCare Organics in response to a Request for Proposals to transport, process, and market biosolids for beneficial reuse.
Under the new proposed contract, WeCare Organics will bring up to 400 tons per day of biosolids to its processing site in rural eastern Pennsylvania where it will be stabilized with lime and made into a product suitable for beneficial reuse. WeCare will use the organic material for mine reclamation projects or sell it as compost to garden centers, nurseries, and landscape supply companies. Once approved, the new five-year contract will start in spring 2012 at a cost of approximately $56 million.
"Our selection today fulfills (the) promise to process sludge in a beneficial way ... Converting our sludge from waste to a valuable resource moves us closer to achieving Mayor Bloomberg's vision for a greener, greater New York." said Commissioner Strickland.
In June 2010, DEP terminated its contract with the New York Organic Fertilizer Company due to its increasing costs in processing approximately 600 of the 1,200 tons of sludge that the wastewater treatment process produces each day for use as fertilizer. At the time the contract was terminated, it cost approximately $30 million per year. Under the new proposed contract, WeCare Organics, based out of Jordan, NY will collect up to 400 tons a day of biosolids after it has been dewatered at a cost of about $11 million per year — a roughly 50% savings over the NYOFCo contract on a cost per ton of biosolids basis.
Sewage sludge is the bulk of the residual material removed during the wastewater treatment process. Wastewater treatment plants use physical, chemical and biological processes to remove on average more than 90% of the organic material in sewage. Raw sludge is first digested in oxygen-free tanks where it is heated and mixed for several days. The final treated sludge, also known as biosolids, is treated to remove nearly all of the pathogens that can be found in raw sludge.
Impact Environmental Consulting is committed to performing responsive, efficient and comprehensive environmental services that remain current with these changes. For a complete listing of services, please visit www.impactenvironmental.com.
*Extracted from:http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/home/home.shtml
