Jan. 10, 2003
The Southland’s air quality agency adopted the nation’s first regulation
today to reduce smog-forming emissions from composting facilities in the region.
"Composting facilities have benefited the environment by significantly
reducing the amount of waste going into landfills," said Barry Wallerstein,
executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
"However, the region’s composting industry generally lacks air pollution
controls and is a significant source of air pollution," he said. "Each industry
must do its part to help us achieve clean air."
All composting facilities emit a total of 6.8 tons per day of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) and 4.7 tons per day of ammonia, according to several
studies conducted by AQMD and other agencies. In comparison, all Southland oil
refineries emit a total of about 9 tons per day of VOCs.
Ammonia and VOCs contribute to the formation of ozone and particulate
pollution, two of the region’s worst pollutants.
The rule will require:
- Composting facilities and chipping and grinding operations to register
with AQMD. Starting on July 1, chipping and grinding businesses, which process
green waste for use as a landfill cover, biomass fuel or composting feedstock,
must limit the time they hold or process green waste to prevent unintentional
decomposition;
- Existing co-composting facilities that produce compost from sewage sludge
or livestock manure and bulking agents such as green waste to reduce their VOC
and ammonia emissions by 70 percent. The rule will be phased in between 2007
and 2009 depending on the size of the facility; and
- New co-composting facilities to either:
- Enclose their active composting
phase, use an aeration system for their curing phase, and vent the emissions
to a pollution control device such as a biofilter with a minimum 80 percent
capture efficiency; or
- Reduce their overall VOC and ammonia emissions by 80 percent.
Although green waste operations account for about 5 tons per day of VOC
emissions and 1 ton per day of ammonia, AQMD will not require specific add-on
controls for them at this time.
The cost for controls on existing co-composting facilities, if passed on to
consumers, would be about 25 cents per month on average, an AQMD analysis
showed.
The rule is expected to reduce VOC emissions by about 1.2 tons per day and
ammonia by 1.9 tons per day.
Facilities such as community composting sites and plant nurseries will be
exempt from the rule.
In other action today, AQMD’s Board:
- Approved a plan to develop a white paper by this spring on regulatory
options for addressing cumulative impacts from air pollution. In
addition, Chairman William Burke requested AQMD staff to begin planning
for a Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study (MATES) III to update
information on air toxics levels in the region;
- Approved $740,000 to develop and optimize a particulate trap for
heavy-duty compressed natural gas engines;
- Authorized up to $1.4 million to develop and demonstrate two natural
gas-electric hybrid transit buses. Los Angeles Department of Water and
Power will contribute $1 million, and Los Angeles MTA will test the
buses; and
- Authorized $1.6 million for the development of a "next generation"
low-emission medium-duty compressed natural gas engine and a
low-emission heavy-duty liquefied natural gas engine, both capable of
meeting future U.S. EPA emission standards.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions
of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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