Strategies for Organic Food Waste Management at The Ohio State University - CASE STUDY
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CASE STUDY:
Strategies for Organic Food
Waste Management at The
Ohio State University
© 2013 InSinkErator, a division of Emerson Electric Co. All Rights Reserved. July, 2013
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Sustainability at The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University continually focuses on groundbreaking programs
to foster sustainability throughout its campus and adjacent facilities.
Since 2004, the university has reduced its trash by 8.5% and increased its
recycling by 55% overall. In 2006, the university set a goal to eliminate the
amount of waste disposed in landfills by 40%. (See †, p.4, for update of OSU
goal summary)
Exploring new practices for handling food waste was a critical step towards
achieving this goal. In April of 2011, the university’s Energy Services and
Sustainability Office created a pilot program at The Blackwell Inn and
Conference Center located at the university’s Fisher College of Business.
Aiming for a solution that could be replicated on a larger scale at other
campus facilities, the university selected the hotel as the pilot site due to
its high volume of food waste…4.5 tons per week.
The program consisted of evaluating three methods of food waste disposal.
#1 – Traditional Method
The Blackwell Inn’s waste disposal and recycling program consisted of two
dumpsters (3-yard) for trash and three dumpsters (6-yard) for recycling,
with 11 scheduled pickups per week.
The monthly cost, including labor for hauling, equipment, trash liners and disposal fees, was $1,935.88.
Traditional Method – Landfill
Per Hour Time or Cost per Pickups per Weekly Monthly Costs
Tonnage Pickup Week Costs
Hauling Fee $38.10 .083 hour $3.18 11 $34.98 $151.34
(Labor)
Equipment $112.00 .083 hour $9.33 11 $102.63 $444.89
Tipping Fee $51.75 5.0 tons - - - $1,121.25
Trash Liners - - - - - $218.40
Total Trash $1,935.88
Conclusion: While this proved to be the least costly alternative, landfill disposal of organic waste did not support
the university’s goals.
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#2 – Composting Pilot
After meeting with the Inn’s staff to discuss the facility’s waste management needs, the Energy Services and
Sustainability Office set up a pilot to divert organic materials from The Blackwell to a compost facility.
Initiating the composting pilot required the purchase of 36 tubs (10-gallon) with lids, eight sealable two-wheel
toters (65-gallon), and six Slim Jim® containers (33-gallon), for a total cost of approximately $1,600.00.
The process entailed:
• Scraping pre- or post-consumer materials into the tubs or Slim Jims
• Sealing tubs and Slim Jims for carting to the loading dock
• Dumping contents of tubs and Slim Jims into the eight toters, which
were located on the loading dock
• Collection of toters (typically three times per week) and delivery of
organic waste to a compost facility
The monthly cost, including labor/hauling to the compost facility and
equipment, was $3,154.84.
Organics/Composting Management
Per Hour Time or Cost per Pickups Weekly Monthly Costs
Tonnage Pickup Costs
Hauling Fee $38.10 2 hours $76.20 3 per week $228.60 $990.60
(Labor)
Equipment $30.00 1 hour $30.00 3 per week $90.00 $390.00
Tipping Fee $37.00 4.5 tons - - - $721.50
Hauling to $38.10 4 hours $304.80 2 per month - $609.60
Composting per trip
Facility
(2 staff)
Hauling to $30.00 $30.00 2 per month - $60.00
Composting
Facility
Truck Fee
Trash Liners - - - - $0
Total Organics $2,771.70
Trash Management (0.5 ton to landfill) $383.14
Total Trash $3,154.84
Conclusion: The university was satisfied with the composting pilot from a landfill diversion standpoint. But in
addition to the higher cost, the composting process was judged to be labor-intensive.
* Slim Jim is a registered trademark of Rubbermaid Commercial Products®.
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#3 – InSinkErator® Grind2Energy™ Pilot
In September of 2011, the university entered into a pilot program with InSinkErator,
utilizing the manufacturer’s new Grind2Energy Organics Recycling System,
designed to facilitate processing of organic waste by turning it into a slurry, which
is hauled to a local anaerobic digestion site.
The Grind2Energy unit is capable of grinding up to 700 pounds of food waste
per hour, using only one gallon of water per minute. The unit’s output is a
contaminant-free “food waste slurry,” which is pumped into anaerobic digesters
with no additional processing required. The high quality of slurry is such that it
increases digester methane production.
Grind2Energy transfers the food waste slurry to a holding tank. In the case of
The Blackwell Inn, a 1,600-gallon tank occupied an 8’ x 20’ space on the facility’s
loading dock. Once a week, a vacuum truck removed the slurry from the tank and
delivered it to an anaerobic digestion facility operated by Quasar Energy Group.
The monthly cost, including removal and transport of slurry, was $1,624.64.
Grind2Energy – Organics Management
Per Hour Time or Cost per Pickups Weekly Monthly Costs
Tonnage Pickup Costs
Truck Fee $120.00 1 hour $120.00 1 per week $120.00 $520.00
Tipping Fee $37.00 4.5 tons - - - $721.50
Trash Liners - - - - - $0
Total Organics $1,241.50
Trash Management (0.5 ton to landfill) $383.14
Total Materials Management $1,624.64
Conclusion: The InSinkErator pilot program helped achieve the university’s goal of reducing waste sent to the
landfill, while simultaneously turning the food waste into renewable resources — both energy and fertilizer. Also,
the cost/benefit analysis comparing the traditional method (incorporating trash management and recycling)
and composting pilot versus the Grind2Energy program shows that the InSinkErator solution can also be highly
cost-effective for the university…the most economical means of reducing landfill waste.
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Summary
Following is a comparison of the per-year and per-month costs and the sustainability factors associated with
Traditional Method, Composting and Grind2Energy solutions conducted at The Blackwell Inn, by The Ohio State
University’s Energy Services and Sustainability Office.
Landfill Composting InSinkErator Grind2Energy™
COST COST COST
1,936
$
3,155
$
1,624
$
Per Month Per Month Per Month
$
23,232 $
37,860 $
19,488
Per Year Per Year Per Year
Does not support university’s food Supports university’s food waste Supports university’s food waste
waste diversion goals diversion goals diversion goals
Produces soil amendment that returns Anaerobic digestion captures biogas
nutrients to the earth
Anaerobic digestion produces
biosolids
By diverting 4.5 tons of food waste per week from the landfill and converting it into renewable energy,
the Grind2Energy solution removes 106,377 pounds of CO2 emissions per year,
which equates to taking 10.1 cars off the road.
By diverting 4.5 tons of food waste per week from the trash pickups going to the By converting this 4.5 tons of food waste per week into renewable energy,
landfill, Grind2Energy removed a total of 20,966 pounds of CO2 emissions per year, Grind2Energy removed a total of 85,411 pounds of CO2 emissions per year, which
which equates to taking 2.0 cars off the road. (3 trash pickups per week, traveling equates to taking 8.1 cars off the road. (Offset, by generating electricity from AD
20 miles to landfill, with a 50% load of food waste.) biogas vs. coal or gasoline.)
Moving Forward
The food waste disposal process at The Blackwell Inn continues to operate efficiently using the Grind2Energy
Organics Recycling System. The university’s Energy Services and Sustainability Office is looking into refining the
Inn’s operation so that less food waste is produced, and is also assessing other foodservice operations on the
university campus for installation of Grind2Energy.
† OSU Goal Summary 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Diversion Rate 16.1% 20.1% 20.0% 23.5% 22.2% 24.3% 30.9% 31.3%
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About InSinkErator
Headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin, InSinkErator, a business unit of Emerson (NYSE: EMR),
is the world’s largest manufacturer of food waste disposers and instant hot water dispensers
for home and commercial use. For more information, visit www.insinkerator.com.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing
technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in
industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is composed
of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power,
Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. For more information, visit
www.emerson.com.
For more information about the InSinkErator
Grind2Energy™ Organics Recycling System
email: g2e@insinkerator.com
call: 1-800-558-5700
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