Dane County has begun to explore the creation of a food waste facility to create jobs and generate green energy by processing discarded food collected throughout the county from commercial sources.
County estimates place the projected gains from the construction and operation of the facility at up to $4 million annually in green energy. The county already pulls in around $3 million annually through methane production and processing from solid waste in the county’s landfills, a statement from the county said.
Early this year, Dane County will begin to conduct a study into the feasibility of constructing such a facility. According to the statement, the new plant would employ an estimated 45 individuals.
“We’re currently in the process of hearing from some of the interested private firms, we will then review and select a firm sometime after,” Joshua Wescott, spokesperson for Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said. “There’s already been a substantial amount of interest in this project.”
The county’s landfill currently receives around 200,000 tons of material annually, of that about 30,000 tons is food waste. County officials are confident such a facility would not only provide substantial amounts of energy to the county, but also greatly extend the life and space available within the landfill.
The plant would convert discarded food into biogas, which could either be combusted in generators for electricity or converted into natural gas. Byproducts from this process could then be packaged for use or sale as compost.
Troy Runge, assistant professor of biological systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin and director of the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative, said he is excited to see the progress of this project.
“It should be one of the first of its kind in the nation and shows great leadership by (Dane County Executive) Kathleen (Falk),” Runge said.
Runge added one of his main concerns is ensuring the project is net energy positive; more energy cannot be used in the collection and processing than is ultimately produced.
Funding for the project would be covered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant as part of federal stimulus legislation.
A June statement from the county detailed the purpose of the $2.26 million grant to be used as part of the Green Energy Dane Plan.
The county hopes to work with the city of Madison to determine the amount of food waste produced in the area and to look into partnering with communities throughout Dane County in the collection and processing of food waste.
According to the statement, the county also hopes to construct a manure digester near Waunakee that is projected to generate around $2 million annually in green energy and help to remove phosphorous in the manure that has been found to be a leading cause of lake algae.
“We’re looking to address a common problem in a constructive way,” Wescott said. “There’s a lot of excitement and opportunity in this, Dane County has had a lot of success in turning problems like this into opportunities to generate funds.”
