Department of Sanitation, New York, Upgrades Composting Program
OWNERSHIP: NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION (DSNY)
OPERATOR: DENALI WATER SOLUTIONS, LLC.
LOCATION: STATEN ISLAND, NY, USA
PRODUCT: SG BUNKER® SYSTEM
INPUT QUANTITY: 60,000 TPY
NO. OF SG BUNKER® SYSTEMS: 16 BUNKERS, 16 COVERED, 164 FT. X 27 FT. X 12 FT. EACH
TREATMENT TIME: 8 WEEKS IN 3 PHASES
AERATION: POSITIVE IN-FLOOR
CONTROL PARAMETERS: OXYGEN CONTROL MODE
INPUT MATERIAL: SOURCE SEPARATED ORGANICS (RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL FOOD WASTE), WOOD CHIPS, GRASS/STRAW, & YARD WASTE
EQUIPMENT: PRE-TREATMENT (TIGER DEPACKAGING MACHINE, GRINDERS) FRONT-END-LOADERS MOBILE SCREEN
END PRODUCT: HIGH-QUALITY FINISHED COMPOST MARKETED AS BIG APPLE COMPOST®
Transformation of the Staten Island Compost Facility
Background
Formal DSNY efforts to recycle organic waste date back to 1990, when the Department collected approximately 3,000 tons of leaves under a pilot project in Staten Island and composted them at its first outdoor composting facility at the Fresh Kills landfill. The Department also composted food waste with other organic material at the Fresh Kills Compost Site from 1991 to 1996, which was collected as part of the Brooklyn Intensive Zone Pilot in Park Slope. From 1993 to 1996, food waste was also collected as part of the Staten Island Institutional Pilot. Though these pilots came to an end, the Department continued composting landscaper and agency yard waste until again piloting food waste composting starting in 2012. The site has been operated by Denali Water Solutions, LLC (formerly WeCare Organics) since 2007 through a contract with DSNY.
Upgrading to SG ADVANCED COMPOSTING™ Technology
To enhance environmental performance, DSNY and its consultants conducted a composting technology evaluation from 2014-2015 to determine the best retrofit solution for the facility. Several critical requirements were identified during the evaluation:
Compliance with stringent air quality standards, focusing on odor and VOC emissions reduction.
Ensuring the separation of process water (leachate) from stormwater.
Producing high-quality compost.
The SG BUNKER® System with GORE® Covers from Sustainable Generation, LLC was selected for its ability to meet these stringent requirements. SG partnered with GHD Engineers and Denali to design and implement the system.
PROJECT GALLERY
SG BUNKER® System at the Staten Island Compost Facility
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Project Phases
Phase 1: This phase addressed the geotechnical challenges of operating on a closed landfill. It required careful planning and multiple construction stages to ensure the site’s stability and regulatory compliance.
Phase 2: Construction completed in May 2023, this phase involved building a 16 SG BUNKER® System.
Phase 3: SG provided on-site operator training and remote monitoring support to ensure a smooth transition during the initial operational phase, July 2023.
Phase 4: Site is fully operational.
Conclusion
The transformation of the Staten Island Compost Facility marks a significant step forward in sustainable urban waste management. By adopting the SG BUNKER® System with GORE® Covers, the facility now exceeds regulatory standards while increasing its capacity to process food waste and produce high-quality compost. This project serves as a model for scalable, environmentally responsible composting solutions in urban areas.
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What our customers are saying…
“The Sustainable Generation® team provided us with outstanding hands-on assistance as we learned to use their system. We retrofit our existing positive air ASP system, which used a compost cap, by upgrading to the SG Mobile® System with GORE® Cover so we could address environmental and community concerns about odors and vector control, and also so we could scale up and expand our composting operation."
Justin Green, Executive Director & Founder Big Reuse
"With disposal and transportation costs increasing with no end in sight, plus an abundance of yard debris from our community, we decided to try biosolids composting at our Wastewater Treatment Plant to reduce our costs and create a Class A product. We went with the SG Mobile® System with GORE® Covers. The ease of operation and the cost savings made this a natural fit. The final product has been a huge hit with the locals who can't get enough Class A compost. We recently doubled the size of our composting operation to keep up with our increasing volumes and demand. This system is easily scalable to meet future demands."
Mike Miller, Public Works Director, City of Florence, Oregon
"We had no composting experience, so conducting a demonstration project with Sustainable Generation® greatly enhanced our understanding of food waste composting and helped us immensely with our subsequent expansion design process. During the selection process, it made a difference that SG's technology was already a proven solution for meeting VOC emission reductions for our San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District."
Jonathan Kalpakoff, VP Mid Valley Disposal
“The Sustainable Generation® team provided us with outstanding hands-on assistance as we learned to use their system. We retrofit our existing positive air ASP system, which used a compost cap, by upgrading to the SG Mobile® System with GORE® Cover so we could address environmental and community concerns about odors and vector control, and also so we could scale up and expand our composting operation."
Justin Green, Executive Director & Founder Big Reuse
"With disposal and transportation costs increasing with no end in sight, plus an abundance of yard debris from our community, we decided to try biosolids composting at our Wastewater Treatment Plant to reduce our costs and create a Class A product. We went with the SG Mobile® System with GORE® Covers. The ease of operation and the cost savings made this a natural fit. The final product has been a huge hit with the locals who can't get enough Class A compost. We recently doubled the size of our composting operation to keep up with our increasing volumes and demand. This system is easily scalable to meet future demands."
Mike Miller, Public Works Director, City of Florence, Oregon
"We had no composting experience, so conducting a demonstration project with Sustainable Generation® greatly enhanced our understanding of food waste composting and helped us immensely with our subsequent expansion design process. During the selection process, it made a difference that SG's technology was already a proven solution for meeting VOC emission reductions for our San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District."