SANDRA CABALLERO CLIENT: DONT WASTE LA CAMPAIGN (LAUREN AKIAM & JACKIE CORNEJO) ADVISOR: MICHAEL STENSTROM
SPOILED
The Rotten World of Food Waste WHAT’S THE BIG PROBLEM?
Food waste is a serious concern. The average person wastes a third of all food they purchase. At the regional level, food waste comprises over 40% of municipal solid waste. At present, food waste is disposed of at landfills and despite a high diversion rate, Los Angeles lacks a city-wide organic collection program.
DONT WASTE LA CAMPAIGN
The City of Los Angeles has proposed the aggressive goal of Zero Waste and recently launched a franchise hauling program. Dont Waste LA aims to continue the momentum by including food waste in the conversation. Food Waste to Energy is a process that converts food waste to biogas and energy.
RESEARCH QUESTION What best practices and emerging solutions can Los Angeles learn from food waste to energy programs employed by other cities?
COMPARATIVE FINDINGS
THE PROCESS ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
OAKLAND, CA East Bay MUD
BENEFITS OF FOOD WASTE TO ENERGY?
Bacteria
Developing an organics collection program has the potential to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, public health issues, general waste collection frequency, increase renewable energy production in Los Angeles, and provide nutrients to our soil.
Food Waste
Biogas
Heat Compost Fertilizer
METHODOLOGY
Electricity
Transport Fuel
This research draws findings from three case studies of model food waste to energy city-level programs: East Bay MUD in Oakland CA, Newtown Creek in Brooklyn NY and MSWM in Oslo, Norway. Each program varies in extensivity as food waste to energy is a fledgling urban initiative. Of the three, Oslo’s program is the most extensive. The factors examined for each case study include the following: political, economic, and social; political strategy for collection reform, policies for infrastructure, finance program, labor engagement and outreach.
BROOKLYN, NY Newtown Creek
OSLO, NORWAY MSWM
CASE STUDIES Lessons for Los Angeles
COLLECTION Procedure Policy
INFRASTRUCTURE Existing New
FINANCE Public/Pirvate Private
LABOR Contract Union
EDUCATION Outreach Participation
RECOMMENDATIONS
Commit to the most rigorous definition of Zero Waste. Include food waste into waste diversion metrics.
Standardize waste collection servies and roll out an organics collection program. Retrofit existing anaerobic digestion infrastructure to include food waste. Assess the Los Angeles food waste landscape and target food waste “hot spots.” Continue effort to target overall waste reduction at consumption levels.
ADVANTAGES Los Angeles has anaeorbic digestion infrastructure that can be activated to capture food waste energy. East Bay MUD uses wastewater infrastructure for food waste to energy.
SMART SYSTEMS
DISADVANTAGES Food waste to energy programs do not address exessive waste generation. Oslo, however has low per capita waste rates and remains a food waste to energy leader.
ADVANTAGES The majority of waste that goes to landfills in Los Angeles is food waste, this waste can be diverted and converted into energy to power residential businesses and commercial sectors.
CYCLICAL METABOLISM
DISADVANTAGES Waste to energy facilities are expensive to construct; projects tend to be heavily subsidized by government. Projects tend to have low return on investment without gov. support.
CLEAN ENERGY