ADE: Giant composters catch on

2/15/2021

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TUPPER LAKE Three ne industrial composting s stems have been installed at or in cooperation ith local schools in Tupper Lake, Lake Placid and De Kalb Junction this eek. It s the latest in a series of statefunded compost projects that started at North Countr School and Camp Treetops three ears ago.

The locall designed and manufactured composting machines turn food aste into rich organic material using feedstock from Lake Placid Central School, Hermon De Kalb Central School in St. La rence Count and the Wild Center nature museum, hich has partnered ith the Tupper Lake Central School District.

This process reduces the amount of methane gas produced b the school s food aste, allo s the schools to use the resulting compost material in gardens and fields, and saves the schools mone on tipping fees at landfills.

The grant mone for these installations comes from the Ne York State Energ Research and Development Authorit s Cleaner Greener Communities program, a four- ear $100 million green initiative, through the Adirondack North Countr Association. NYSERDA partnered ith Director of Facilities and Sustainabilit John Culpepper from North Countr School in 2017, ho orked ith contractor Greg LaClair in Upper Ja to design and produce a cheaper, more effective and contained composter.

NYSERDA a ha h he c e f ha e ec ha he a ed f d h ee add a c e , said Jennifer Perr , the sustainabilit project coordinator at ANCA.

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Around 50,000 pounds of food aste go into that composter a ear; middle school students feed the aste gathered on campus into the tube. The material loses over 50% of its eight in the process and comes out as a t pe of soil fertili er.

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The microbes, though small, are massive in number. Culpepper noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 15 quintrillion (a 15 follo ed b 18 eros) microbes in a compost drum the si e of theirs the same number of estimated grains of sand on all of Earth s beaches, according to research from the Universit of Ha aii.

These 15 quintrillion microbes in North Countr School s compost became operational in Ma 2017. h

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Culpepper and Perr selected three more host organi ations to receive tubes each filled ith some 15 quintrillion microbes of their o n. The said the based their choices on the organi ations proven commitment to sustainabilit initiatives and their abilit to successfull complete projects.

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The last composter as installed Monda at the Wild Center. When the school ear starts in September, it ill start taking food aste from both Tupper Lake schools and the museum and ill be integrated in the museum s Ne Pa h T , hich highlights its sustainabilit initiatives.

Tupper Lake students have spent several ears preparing for the school to get a compost s stem.

Th e h g ha G ee Tea ha bee g a d , e a ce I ca e e be , said Emil Burns, ho graduated in June.

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Jen Kretser, director of climate initiatives at the Wild Center, said the Green Team orked ell ith the museum.

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Hermon De Kalb Central School ill include the composter in its local food program. Perr said the school s composting s stem ill be supported b several committed communit members, including an Amish farm, a local restaurant and SUNY Canton.

Lake Placid High School Environmental Club students first learned about North Countr School s drum composter b attending the Wild Center s Adirondack Youth Climate Summit. The have been processing their school s food aste at North Countr s facilit for t o ears.

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No , ith the help of science teacher Tamm Morgan, the are creating a student-run business model for collecting organic material from communit members, operating their o n composter and distributing the end product.

The food aste is mi ed ith ood pellets to assist decomposition and can handle up to 300 pounds of aste a da .

A s stem this si e can cost bet een $40,000 and $150,000 on the open market. Culpepper said the materials cost for his composter design is appro imatel $15,000 and that a competent machine shop can easil produce the frame for little cost. These s stems are contained in retrofitted 40-foot shipping containers.

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In t o ears, the school/camp has processed over 116,000 pounds of organic material, composed mostl of food scraps, into 53 cubic ards of high-qualit compost that is then used in the school s vegetable gardens.

These s stems run at high heat, around 130 degrees Fahrenheit hot enough to compost meat and dair , hich most home composters cannot.

Culpepper estimates the s stem pa s for itself in five to eight ears due to cost savings from tipping fees and the value of finished compost. Each composter offsets about 9 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annuall the equivalent of removing t o vehicles from the road.

Waste that is buried in a landfill does not receive o gen, hich means it produces lots of methane gas. h

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T(h ) a e ce e e a e f he ac ca c e ca ha e b c g ge he a eff ad a ce a ab a d e e a e a d h , said Alicia Barton, president and CEO of NYSERDA. P b cae a e h a eac e e fG .

(A d e ) C eff e a e Ne Y ca b f ,a d he eade h a d a h h h N hC ec ha a ead ed he he a e eff ed ce e a d ec a a e ce f f e ge e a .

Inspired b a gro ing interest among institutions, contractor LeClair started a small business in Upper Ja that manufactures the composting machines.

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J h d e ha he eeded he ach e d , a d ea a d I de g ed a e ee h e eed , LeClair said. I e h ec . If I c d b d he e f e, I d.

Organi ations can build composters of their o n if the ant. LeClair and Culpepper s s stem design is on the North Countr School s ebsite at :// . c c . / a - a de / a ab /c .

Culpepper said he receives requests for information on a dail basis.

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Toda 's breaking ne s and more in our inbo I'm in e e ed in (plea e check all ha appl )

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