BioCycle June 2010, Vol. 51, No. 6, p. 13

“Instrumental Information” For Florida Governor
I am pleased to write and thank the composting industry, green initiatives and the collaboration of people who helped our firm, Capitol Solutions, execute a winning strategy that resulted in Governor Crist’s veto of HB 569, legislation that would have allowed disposal of yard trimmings in Florida’s Class I landfills equipped to recover methane (see “Florida Governor Vetoes Repeal of Yard Trimmings Disposal Ban” on page 14 of this issue). BioCycle’s special report in the May issue, “Putting The Landfill Energy Myth To Rest,” was included in letters to the Governor and provided instrumental information and added legitimacy to our cause.
From the beginning, we knew, going up against a Fortune 200 company would not be an easy task. The key to our success in the eventual veto of HB 569 was found in having the small company owners’ voices heard and bringing to light the industry facts. This was achieved through hundreds of individual letters to the Governor, providing a conduit to allow them to be heard and the convincing presentation of facts to the appropriate people. The allowance of yard waste into Class 1 facilities does not make prudent business, governing or legislative sense. I am happy to quote Governor Crist in saying this bill would have been “a step backward in our efforts” as a state financially and environmentally.

Patrick Bell, President
Capitol Solutions, LLC
Tallahassee, Florida

Support Of “Soil Additions”
Dr. Sally Brown’s recent BioCycle article on the landfill energy myth was so informative that I had to send this note. I really appreciate her support of soil additions. I am a promoter of biosolids land application and find it quite frustrating that there are so many obstacles in the way. In fact Tennessee is contemplating state land application rules, which if they pass, would become another obstacle. Tennessee soils need the organic matter, but this benefit is often overlooked.
Though I am employed by the University of Tennessee, I’m not an academic. I work for an agency called the Municipal Technical Advisory Service. We are very similar to the Agricultural Extension Service in that we are an extension service for Tennessee cities. I provide wastewater training and consulting to mostly small municipalities. About 25 percent of my time is in the area of biosolids land application. In these small communities the trend is toward the landfill and away from anaerobic digestion. It is a sad trend often based on what is easy and a misunderstanding of what the real benefits are.

Brett Ward
Utility Operations Consultant
Municipal Technical Advisory Service
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee

Well Written And Timely
I just finished Sally Brown’s May 2010 article in BioCycle. I found the data and analysis supportive of my understanding and findings over many years in the industry. Her article was enjoyable, well written and very timely.
We are nearing the stage of final selection of a vessel composter for our site’s cafeteria and landscape wastes at our facility in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. I’m excited that we expect to have our vessel composter installed and operating later this year.

Ken Zinis, Deputy Director, Environment
Health Safety Environment
Sanofi Pasteur
Swiftwater, Pennsylvania