BIOSOLIDS COMPOST…WHAT’S IT WORTH?

摘要

Biosolids composting in the United States continues to proliferate with nearly 260 active projectsaccording to Beecher and Goldstein (2010). Many utilities continue to consider composting as aproven biosolids management alternative, especially when management of other materials suchas brush and yard wastes is included. However, with the exception of anecdotal informationabout occasional case studies, little information exists in the public domain on the value ofcompost products being generated. Due to lack of this information, many would-be planners anddesigners of new biosolids compost facilities believe that a cost for disposal of compostproduced must be included. The fact is, majority of facilities have robust marketing programsand many of them are sold out of compost products. But, limited information exists on theregional pricing of compost sold, the methods used for sale and the marketing efforts beingpracticed. Further, little is known about the breakdown of market segments to where compost isbeing sold on a national basis. In order to determine more accurate information on the marketingpractices and the value of compost products throughout the U.S, a survey was conducted onbiosolids composting facilities to gather definitive data on the value received from the sales ofcompost products, its nutrient contents, the marketing methods used (in house staff, contractsales, etc.) and the overall impact on operating costs that the revenues of these products offset.Sixty biosolids composting facilities were randomly selected and contacted for the survey effortand 25 survey responses were received. The facilities that responded back were of various sizeranges, with varying years of operating experience and from different regions in the UnitedStates. A total compost production of approximately 627,215 CY annually was reported by allthe surveyed facilities and 80% of them were selling their products. The price of compost rangedfrom $2/CY to $22/CY, with an overall average of $10.21/CY. Average regional price forcompost product was also determined and was found to be highest in the midwestern andmountain region at $12.95/CY and lowest in the northeastern region at $7.65. Primarily, facilitieseither adopted a uniform pricing structure or had a volume-based pricing structure for productpurchased. Ranges of customers served were mostly local residents, landscapers, nurseries andsoil blenders. It was also found that on an average, facilities that advertised their productreceived twice as much the price on their sales when compared to facilities that did not advertisetheir products. The percent of the O&M cost that was covered by the product sales revenuevaried significantly between facilities, however, in several cases, up to one third of the O&Mcost was offset by the revenue generated through the sale of compost.The results obtained from the survey validated that biosolids compost product has great valueand is highly accepted and marketable. This information will provide useful and meaningful datato planners and engineers who are considering composting as an alternative for biosolidsmanagement or who are actually developing new or expanded facilities.