A Sustainable Waste Stream System
Imagine the possibility of a Sustainable. Compostable and Capturable Waste stream. Technology is moving quickly towards giving us the ability to utilize any biomass for either fuel or packaging feedstock. Agricultural Waste is generated all over the United States in the various forms determined by what is grown. In Eastern Washington state wheat straw is the first ag waste feedstock that comes to mind. This is what is left over after harvesting the wheat kernels. Currently it is burned or plowed under. This waste material can be transformed into foodservice packaging. Harvest, clean and make into a slurry. The machine is like a giant waffle maker that turns it into plates or bowls. The most logical market is Seattle and Portland. Carbon foot print reduction occurs in all phases of production and distribution compared to fossil non-degradable plastic pollution.
Look around where you live. What is the agricultural economy based upon. I have no doubt that there is waste that could be utilized for fuel or packaging. We currently do not value these resources. However, much like a weed is a plant growing where you do not want it, Ag Waste is a disposal problem with a value added solution.
It might seem impossible to make this kind of a change. The entrenched interests will force styrofoam down our throats no matter what the consumer prefers.
And yet the change will happen. The plastic in the ocean will force us to change our waste stream.
So Look Around and please let me know what your agricultural waste is made of. We are the consumer. We get to decide. As with any new innovation, there is the price component. Cost is higher for these products while infrastructure is ramped up to supply the innovaters. Efficiencies of scale come into play as systems become refined and the specific successful applications emerge. Creating a compostable waste stream essentially answers in a positive way the problem of culture expansion.
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6 Responses to “A Sustainable Waste Stream System”
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I think the question with any sort of capture based system is does is have a viable target market for what is being captured. Recycling is, in theory, a great idea – But when you get into the realities of production trying to use post-consumer waste as a raw material, the idea gets way way more complicated.
With continued urbanization, do you think there is a sustainable audience for the end product of composting? How large can it grow, what can constrain that growth?
It seems to me that as long as we are involved in the carbon cycle there will be the need for compost. People grow gardens on the roof in big cities because it is so grounding to know and partake of a normal growth cycle.
It is possible that burning the compostable waste stream may compete with compost as the end use of waste. Right now we are seeing an explosion in biomass energy generation. Forest trimmings, yard waste and construction waste can all be burned as a green energy source.
I have never understood why the brush that burns every year in Southern California is not harvested and utilized for fuel or packaging. By diverting some of the fire fighting money to harvest and utilizing the waste stream for energy it would be a win win situation.
You have really great taste on catch article titles, even when you are not interested in this topic you push to read it
Полностью разделяю Ваше мнение. Мне нравится Ваша идея. Предлагаю вынести на общее обсуждение….
Agricultural Waste is generated all over the United States in the various forms determined by what is grown. In Eastern Washington state wheat straw is […….
I didn’t understand the concluding part of your article, could you please explain it more?
I am saying that all over the world there are agricultural waste feedstocks that
can be used for fuel or packaging. I suggest you look around where you live, identify
the best feedstock and let me know so I can add it to my sources for use in future production.
I suggest that the natural efficiencies of utilizing ag waste feedstocks can carry the products into
the market.
A compostable waste stream is sustainable and scalable. Over time as innovators refine processes to achieve productivity we will create the fertile soil for the culture to expand into.