Solid Waste Management in the FieldSolid Waste Management in the Field
Workshop Demonstrations Workshop Demonstrations Spring 2001Spring 2001
Gustavus & SkagwayGustavus & Skagway
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian TribesCentral Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Zender Environmental Management ServicesZender Environmental Management Services
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusTour of Gustavus LandfillTour of Gustavus Landfill
“Dumpmaster” Paul Berry (orange pants) talks to the group about general landfill operations
GUSTAVUSGUSTAVUS
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Paul Berry gives a tour of the landfill. Above is the balefill with a plastic cover that flips back.
Loose waste pit is used for construction and demolition waste, Styrofoam, and any objects that are too big for the baler.
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusTour of Gustavus LandfillTour of Gustavus Landfill
A closed pit (covered and seeded) is directly behind the loose waste pit.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusTour of Gustavus LandfillTour of Gustavus Landfill
Paul points out the salvage area which is separated into piles of similar materials. Scrap metal from these piles gets barged out when they have the money to arrange it, or when a free-of-charge opportunity comes up.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGustavus Landfill Gustavus Landfill -- CompostingComposting
Paul gives a “hands on” compost demonstration.
We take a tour of the volunteer-run compost area at the landfill.
People in the community bring their food waste to this area in 5 gallon buckets and pick up an empty bucket. Volunteers add the new food wastes to the compost piles, and turn the piles, once per week. Paul says this program has been very successful so far and was very inexpensive to start up.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
A convenient and easy-to-use recycling area for plastic and glass is located at the landfill entrance.
Aluminum and miscellaneous non-ferrous metal recycling is next to the plastic and glass recycling.
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGustavus Landfill Gustavus Landfill -- RecyclingRecycling
Used supersacks hold recyclables until they are shipped out.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGustavus Landfill Gustavus Landfill -- BalerBaler
Baler “ejector”
After compaction
Small and inexpensive baler by “Compaction Technologies” The left side of the baler is used for compacting garbage and the right side (shown in this picture) is used for crushing cans.
Paul gives a baler demonstration
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGustavus Landfill Gustavus Landfill -- Glass CrusherGlass Crusher
Glass crushing demonstration Paul shows the crushed glass and talks about it’s uses.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Ed Emswiler, DEC, discusses permitting with us and as a group we act as DEC inspectors for the Gustavus landfill.
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGustavus Landfill Gustavus Landfill -- Permitting and InspectionPermitting and Inspection
View of the operations building
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Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGustavus Landfill Gustavus Landfill -- Battery RecyclingBattery Recycling
Paul Berry shows how to prepare batteries for shipping to recyclers.
Corrosive shipping stickers needed for labeling packaged batteries were given to workshop participants.
We’re shown how to use the banding machine to secure batteries.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGustavus Landfill Gustavus Landfill -- Record KeepingRecord Keeping
Gustavus Landfill Daily Log
Record keeping discussion: Paul shows how he keeps records on the amount of waste that comes in, number of bales produced, compost buckets etc. He gives us sample sheets, and tells us how he sets and keeps track of user fees. He uses a computer database for all of his records.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusThrift Store/Salvage AreaThrift Store/Salvage Area
Next, everyone visits the popular community thrift store/salvage area (called the “Community Chest”) which accepts re-usable clothing, furniture, toys, books, electronics, boat parts, etc.
Shopping for souvenirs!
The mission of the volunteer-run Community Chest is to recycle and re-use as much material from the community’s “waste stream” as possible. The facility makes over $10,000/yr, almost all of which is donated back to community groups and projects.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusThrift Store/Salvage AreaThrift Store/Salvage Area
Dan Thorington shows the area for larger items such as used doors, windows, bikes, sinks, etc. He says they make the most money with these items.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusTour of Glacier Bay National Park Waste Management Facility Tour of Glacier Bay National Park Waste Management Facility
Jason Parks gives an introduction to the facilities
Tour of Glacier Bay National Park Waste Management Facility
GUSTAVUS GUSTAVUS –– 22ndnd FacilityFacility
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGlacier Bay Park Landfill Glacier Bay Park Landfill -- Recycling Recycling
The group is taken around the recycling sorting area. These are “shoots” for different kinds of materials. They rest over a sorting table. This is an innovative and efficient design!
Bag holders are positioned on the other side of “shoots”.
The Glacier Bay Park Landfill has bear-proof recycling containers – and they work!
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGlacier Bay Park Landfill Glacier Bay Park Landfill -- Recycling Recycling
Bags of recyclables from the “shoots” are then taken to the recycling storage area. The compact and flexible design of the storage area takes up little space and is easy to keep organized.
When there are enough recyclables, they are baled and shipped to Seattle
Glacier Bay diverts about 65 percent of their wastestream! The small amount of leftover waste allows them to use a smaller and cheaper incinerator (keep going-- you can view the incinerator a bit further down).
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGlacier Bay Park Landfill Glacier Bay Park Landfill –– Glass CrusherGlass Crusher
The Glacier Bay Park Landfill also has a glass pulverizer that grinds the glass down to pellets of whatever size is needed.
Pulverized glass is smooth and can be handled with no injury. In Gustavus they use it for septic drain fields and construction projects. It also makes a good landfill cover, can be mixed with gravel for roads, or used in art projects.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGlacier Bay Park Landfill Glacier Bay Park Landfill –– IncineratorIncinerator
Jason shows us how he operates and maintains the incinerator. After separating out recyclables and explodable/hazardous items, Glacier Bay Park burns the rest of it’s garbage. They burn approximately twice a week and the ash is disposed in an ash monofill (see next slide).
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGlacier Bay Park Landfill Glacier Bay Park Landfill –– Center of Facility Center of Facility
Compost piles are located near the ash monofill. Jason tells us how he maintains the piles.
Materials are stored until they are shipped out.
Ash monofill located in the center of the facility. The darker material (ash) sloped at the back of the trench represents almost full two years of garbage!
Tour of the rest of the facility
An oil filter press crushes and drains oil cans and deposits oil into a drum underneath the press. The waste oil is then transferred to an oil burner in town.
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGlacier Bay Park Landfill Glacier Bay Park Landfill –– Hazardous WasteHazardous Waste
Jason Parks demonstrates the AeroSolve Can Puncturing System for aerosol cans. The handle moves a pin that punctures the can. A filter on the other side traps the toxic vapors. Punctured cans are then recycled as scrap metal. The facility also has a similar system for propane cylinders.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGlacier Bay Park Landfill Glacier Bay Park Landfill –– Hazardous WasteHazardous Waste
“Safety Storage” hazardous waste shed where materials such as paint, cleaners etc. are stored. The materials are available for re-use – anyone in the community can drop by and pick out what they might be able to use.
Jason talks about how he records what the shed contains. We have a general discussion on hazardous waste types and how they should be stored.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 1 GustavusDay 1 GustavusGlacier Bay Park Landfill Glacier Bay Park Landfill –– Scrap YardScrap Yard
Glacier Bay Park Facility also has a re-use area for people to pick up or drop off items (pipes, wiring, hoses, building materials, etc.).
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 2 SkagwayDay 2 SkagwaySkagway SWM Facility Skagway SWM Facility
View of the White Pass Rail from the Skagway SWM facility!
Group gets tour of the operations building.
SKAGWAYSKAGWAY
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 2 SkagwayDay 2 SkagwaySkagway SWM Facility Skagway SWM Facility -- Incinerator Incinerator
Bob Ward, City Manager, gives the group a tour of the Skagway incinerator. The incinerator is made by Eco-Waste Solutions and is the first thermal oxidation system of its kind installed in Alaska. As can be seen below, it is a double chamber system with primary chambers on either side of the secondary chamber. The amount of maintenance needed is minimal and not difficult, as long as it is done regularly.
We get an inside look at the primary chamber after a burn. Garbage is placed in this chamber from above and thoroughly burned. After cool-down, a hydraulic rake scoops out the ash to a hinged opening in the floor. Ash then drops down to a storage area below (see next slide).
Exhaust gases from the primary chamber flow into the secondary chamber where they are re-burned at a high temperature of 17000F and then emitted to the atmosphere odor free and with minimal pollutants.
Secondary Chamber
Hydraulic Rake
Primary Chamber
Day 2 SkagwayDay 2 SkagwaySkagway SWM Facility Skagway SWM Facility –– Incinerator Ash Incinerator Ash
Ash is placed in the lined disposal area adjacent to the ash storage area. The area drains to a leachate collection pond at the lower end. Leachate can be sprayed back onto the piles of stored ash to moisten, and avoid ash blow OR it can be pumped to a tank truck and taken to Skagway’s waste water treatment plant.
As ash falls through the floor of the Solid Waste Facility, it sits in piles down below in the storage area. Ash is removed from the area with a Bobcat loader 2-3 times per year when ideal weather conditions exist (preferably when the weather is wet and calm with little wind to prevent the ash from blowing around).
Tour of the back side of the SWM facility
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Close-up of computer screen operations for the incinerator. Bob Ward and Grant Lawson show us how they operate the incinerator from the computer. The computers display information like which burners are running, chamber temperatures, whether chamber doors are open, etc. Grant tells us he had no experience with computers before but a few weeks after taking the training that the company includes in the incinerator purchase, he felt comfortable with the system. With automation, and a warning system hooked up to the City’s Public Works building six miles away, Grant is able to leave the incinerator for long periods of time and carry out his other job duties for the City.
Day 2 SkagwayDay 2 SkagwaySkagway SWM Facility Skagway SWM Facility –– Incinerator Control System Incinerator Control System
We move back inside for a talk about the automated operator control system for Skagway’s incinerator. By using information translated via a modem and telephone line, trouble-shooting can be performed by the company that sold the incinerator, without the costly need to send a technician. With expert help so easily available, the maintenance and operation cost can be greatly reduced, because incinerator problems can be fixed quickly. The workstations also automatically record and print operating records.
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
Day 2 SkagwayDay 2 SkagwaySkagway SWM Facility Skagway SWM Facility -- Recycling Recycling
We are taken around the Skagway facility tipping floor. Here aluminum cans are being crushed by a Bobcat and will be shipped out for recycling.
Cardboard baler for recycling cardboard
Skagway community recycling trailer
Glass crusher – crushed glass is used for cover on the ash landfill
Day 2 SkagwayDay 2 SkagwaySkagway SWM Facility Skagway SWM Facility –– Landfill ClosureLandfill Closure
We ended our day with a tour of Skagway’s closed landfill. Skagway is still in the process of closing this site. Right now, while they wait for the permanent liner, they have a temporary 8 mil liner covering the site to contain the waste and keep water out. A gas venting system is included in the final design. To close this site as cheaply as possible, they are using City personnel. They also hired a church group that, for $30,000, cleaned up about 5 to 10 acres of heavy waste scatter around the dump borders.
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As the workshop commences, we all enjoy a scenic ride back to Juneau!
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes
