A recent WasteDive article describes how Waste Management’s Centralized Organic Recycling (CORe) facility in Boston is diverting food waste from landfills and preparing it for use as a clean energy source. The compact CORe system provides another outlet for businesses and institutions located in densely populated areas that cannot easily support a large composting facility.

Currently, about 50 tons of source-separated organics are delivered to the Boston CORe facility each day for pre-processing. This material is collected from Waste Management compactors in the area and also by Save that Stuff, a hauler and recycling company that leases the property to Waste Management.

Using the patented CORe process, the organic material is converted into an energy-dense Engineered Bioslurry (EBS). Waste Management sends this EBS to the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District’s wastewater treatment plant for anaerobic digestion to produce a biogas, a renewable energy source which can be converted into electricity or heat. After depackaging and contamination removal, contaminants are collected as a residue and sent to a waste-to-energy facility.

Waste Management believes that the CORe system will play an important role in helping businesses and institutions comply with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Commercial Organics Disposal Ban, which went into effect in October 2014. Waste Management indicates that the Boston CORe facility is able to expand its pre-processing capacity by up to 500% as demand increases for additional organic waste outlets.

Waste Management’s Boston CORe facility is included in the RecyclingWorks online database, which allows users to search for local recyclers and processors across Massachusetts. RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts also provides technical assistance to Massachusetts businesses and institutions with food waste reduction and recovery. To speak to a recycling and food recovery expert, call our hotline: (888) 254-5525 or email us at info@recyclingworksma.com.