Food Waste Disposers – Subsinkly Sustainable

An Alternative Solution for Landfill Diversion

Michael Keleman

8 November 2017

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Convergence of Environmental Megatrends

FOOD WASTE REDUCTION FOOD WASTE REDUCTION

U.S. GOAL 50% by 2030

ROADMAP 20% for $18B

LANDFILL DIVERSION OF ORGANICS

STATUTORY BANS | CA • MA • RI • VT • CT

Soon in FL • MD • MN • NJ MUNICIPAL ZERO WASTE PLANS Austin • NYC • Portland • San Francisco • Seattle

RESOURCE RECOVERY

CLEAN WATER ENERGY FERTILIZER

FOOD WASTE REDUCTION

National Food Waste Prevention

Study September 2014

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Global Trend to Reduce Food Waste

Reduce the Avoidable Responsibly Manage the Unavoidable

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Current Food Waste Management Options

Waste to Energy

Landfill Centralized Composting

Backyard Composting

Wastewater Treatment

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Wastewater Treatment Process

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Wastewater Trends in the U.S.

• Water Resource Recovery Facility

– Clean Water, Energy & Fertilizer

• Beneficial Reuse of Biosolids

– Approximately ~50% in the U.S.

• Facilities with Anaerobic Digestion?

~10% of US WRRFs,~50% of US Flows

• Energy Independence at Utilities

• Food Waste = Energy

– East Bay Municipal Utility District Oakland, California Producing >200% of Energy Demand

• Food Waste Can Help WRRFs

– 70 - 90% Water

– Nutrient Removal

– Food Waste Produces 3x More Biogas Than Sewage Sludge

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“ T H E C H A L L E N G E I N T H E F U T U R E I S H O W T O E X T R A C T E N E R G Y

F R O M W A S T E W A T E R M O S T E F F I C I E N T L Y … F O O D W A S T E C O U L D

B E G R O U N D U P I N K I T C H E N F O O D W A S T E G R I N D E R S A N D

T R A N S P O R T E D T O W A S T E W A T E R T R E A T M E N T F A C I L I T I E S … ” .

G E O R G E T C H O B A N O G L O U S

Research Confirms Sustainability of Disposers

“More than Appliance of Convenience”

*Disposers Now Mandated in All New Construction: http://bit.ly/1qJAUXZ

Environmental Tool for

Preserving Public Health

and Promoting Sustainability

Myths & Misconceptions of Disposers

• Water & Electricity Usage

• Food Waste Clogs Plumbing & Sewers

Density is 1g/ml, 70-90% Water

Municipal Projects to Demonstrate Efficacy of Disposers

Philadelphia*, Tacoma, Milwaukee, Boston and Chicago

$ CO2

Life-Cycle

Assessment

(2011)

Sustainable

Food Waste

Evaluation

(2012)

Impacts to

Wastewater

Treatment

(2013)

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Research

• “LITERATURE OVERVIEW - Impacts of Disposers and Food Waste Management” (2015)

• “Life Cycle Assessment of Systems for the Management and Disposal of Food Waste“ (2011)

• “Sustainable Food Waste Evaluation” (2012)

• “Energy Balance & Nutrient Removal Impacts of Food Waste Disposers on Wastewater Treatment” (2013)

• “Characterization of Typical Household Food Wastes from Disposers: Fractionation of Constituents and Implications for Resource Recovery at Wastewater Treatment” (2015)

• “Flocculent Settling of Food Wastes” (2016)

https://www.insinkerator.com/us/en/environmental-professional-information

The Food Waste Disposer as a

Municipal Tool for Waste Diversion

An Evaluation in Five Cities InSinkErator® Project Overview

This presentation is based on an InSinkErator-sponsored review of 432 households over a three-year period and is provided for general

informational and promotional purposes. Municipalities that are considering alternative waste diversion solutions are encouraged to

consult with a qualified waste professional to analyze and consider all potential options.

The Emerson logo is a trademark and a service mark of Emerson Electric Co.

©2016 InSinkErator, InSinkErator® is a business unit of Emerson Electric Co. All Rights Reserved.

Summary

12 ©2016 InSinkErator, InSinkErator® is a business unit of Emerson Electric Co. All Rights Reserved.

*This infographic is based on an InSinkErator-sponsored review of 432 households over a three-year period and is

provided for general informational and promotional purposes. Cities considering alternative waste diversion solutions

are encouraged to consult with a qualified waste professional to analyze and consider all potential options, and take

potential adoption rates into consideration.

**Participants received a free disposer and installation from InSinkErator.

Calculations are for illustrative purposes only.

An Evaluation in Five Cities InSinkErator® Project Overview

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Myths & Misconceptions #1 High Water Usage

Review of Ten Global Studies

• Five Studies Concluded:

– Water Use is “Negligible or Statistically Insignificant”

• Remaining Five Studies:

• 5 L/household

• ~2-3% Total NZ Household Usage

• About a Single Toilet Flush

• 13 gal/day Less per household (DeOreo et al, 2011)

Volume Study Location

1 gal/capita/day New York

3-6 L/household/day Surahammar, Sweden

1.01 L/person/day Verona, Italy

3-4.5 L/person/day EU

4 L/person/day AU

“…water agencies should not consider disposals as water wasting appliances.” (DeOreo et al 2011)

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Myths & Misconceptions #2 Electricity Usage

Electrical Demand Based on Actual Use

• Hours of Use

(3 uses/day) x (30 sec/use) x (I hr/3600 sec) x (365 days/year) = 9.0 hours/year

• Power Demand

500 watts

• Annual Energy Usage

500 watt x 9 hours = 4.5 kWh/year

• Total Annual Household Cost New Zealand

4.5 kW-h/year x $0.2879/kWh =

Value Study Location

3-4 kWh/household/year Surahammar, Sweden

4.3 kWh/year Verona, Italy

Disposers Use Minimal Electricity and Operating Costs are Negligible

$1.30 per year

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Myths & Misconceptions #3 Overloading of Treatment Plants

TSS & BOD Design Criteria Should be Increased by 0.02 kg/capita per day

1Adapted from "Wastewater Engineering. Treatment and Resource Recovery." 2014. Metcalf & Eddy/AECOM. McGraw-Hill Education. 5th Edition

2”Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities Policies for the Design, Review, and Approval of Plans and Specifications for Wastewater Collection and Treatment Facilities.” 2004 Edition

Loading Based on Textbooks1 & Design Standards2

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Myths & Misconceptions #4 Clogged Plumbing & Sewers

• Designed to Comply with American Society of Sanitary Engineering Standard #1008

• 100% of Particles Must Be < 0.5”

• Most Particles 1/8” – 1/4”

• Testing Procedure Established by Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

• Food Waste is 70-90% Water

• Density is 1 g/ml

• Proper Use is Key

http://bit.ly/1RVT4zK

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Myths & Misconceptions #5 More Problems with Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG)

• FOG Should Not Be Poured in Disposers…or Sinks & Toilets

• FOG Deposits Found in Sewers Even Where Disposers are Virtually Non-Existent

• Tongji Study Showed Less Deposits with Disposers

• “Calcium Soaps”

• A Critical Review of Fat, Oil & Grease in Sewer Collection Systems: Challenges and Control1

Sewer FOG Blockages a Global Phenomena

“Sewer in London’s East End Menaced by Giant Fatberg” NY Times

“Total monster: fatberg blocks London sewage system” The Guardian

“Behold The Fatberg: London's 130-Ton, 'Rock-Solid' Sewer Blockage” NPR

“Fatberg Clogging London Sewer Longer than Two Football Fields” Washington Post

Pictures by Thames Water & Reuters

1Xia He, Francis L. de los Reyes III & Joel J. Ducoste. 2017.

Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology.

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Myths & Misconceptions #6 Disposers Have Blades

• Stationary Grind Ring

• Rotating Plate with Lugs

Disposers Operate More Like a Cheese Grater than a Blender

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdUd11bf8fg

Food Waste Disposers Operate Without Blades

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Myths & Misconceptions #7 Incompatible with Septic Systems

• Disposers Grind Food into Fine Particles

• Majority Removed & Degraded in the Tank

• Minimal Impact on Drainfield

• Relevant Food Waste Characteristics:

– 70% - 90% Water

– Organic

– Breaks Down More Easily than Sewage Solids

– Contains Higher Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio vs. Sewage

Disposers are Compatible with Properly Sized and Maintained Septic Systems

6 M I L L I O N U . S . H O M E S O N S E P T I C S Y S T E M S

W I T H A F O O D WAS T E D I S P O S E R *

Research from the University of Minnesota, Bo Hu et al (2017) Table adapted from Crites & Tchobanoglous. 1998. "Small and Decentralized

Wastewater Management Systems.“ The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

*American Housing Survey

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Questions?

Michael Keleman

Manager of Environmental Engineering

InSinkErator

Michael.Keleman@emerson.com

262-598-5219 Emerson Confidential and Proprietary/For internal use only