Environmentalists offer long-term solutions to landfill

While mitigating landfill odors was the priority at Tuesday’s Special House Commission meeting, environmental advocates warned officials that they should be considering a more long-term solution to waste management in Rhode Island.

“The problem is not what’s coming out of the landfill, the problem is what’s going in,” said David Fisher, a staff writer with ecoRI, a website and newsletter that addresses environmental issues in Rhode Island.

As the commission demanded solutions from RIRRC and Broadrock Renewables, Fisher maintains that the only real solution will come “if we radically shift the stream of waste that is going into our landfill.”

Tons of organic waste is poured into the landfill, despite being what Fisher describes as a “viable resource.”

“With a reasonably-sized compost station, you could take those resources and turn them around,” he said.

EcoRI runs a voluntary compost collection program at farmers markets across the state, charging a minimum tipping fee of $1 per person. The agency then composts that material and offers it to area farmers who want to use a more eco-friendly approach to agriculture. Sitting in the House Lounge, Fisher used the State House lawn as an example, pointing out how the state could save money and support an important environmental initiative by using composted mulch instead.

The problem, he said, is that it is cheaper to dump trash at the landfill than invest in composting. Still, more and more people are considering the long-term benefits of composting, especially as it increases the life of the state’s only landfill.

“There is enough gas being created in that landfill to keep that plant running for years and years and years,” Fisher said. “People are willing to pay us to take their compostable food waste. There is the public will out there.”

Greg Gerritt, coordinator for the Rhode Island Compost Initiative, which is a project of the Environment Council of RI and the Greater Providence Urban Agriculture Task Force, said composting would revitalize the state’s agriculture industry and pointed to other municipalities turning over a new leaf in terms of waste management. San Francisco, he said, recycles as much as 77 percent of their waste, thanks in large part to a strong composting program. The population of San Francisco, nearly 809,000 people, is not far off from Rhode Island’s population of just over 1 million people.

“We need your help to think about, how do we do something long term?” Gerritt asked the commission.

He also invited them to the Compost Initiative’s Feb. 21 conference at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket.

Gerritt conceded that dumping trash is the less expensive approach, but warned that the long-term effects are devastating on the environment. Methane, the odorless gas created at the landfill, is a potent greenhouse gas – 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Brian Rea, who started the Facebook group C.A.N.T. (Citizens Against Neighborhood Toxins), said he has been researching waste management alternatives and questioned if better, more efficient technology is a possibility.

“To me, it seems like we’re using dinosaur tactics,” he said.

Rep. Michael Chippendale (R-Foster, Coventry, Glocester) said it is something to look into, but the state should not rush into a decision, as many “new technologies” could also have a negative impact.

“Gasification itself can cause byproducts that are even more toxic than what we’re dealing with now,” he said.

Rep. Stephen Ucci (D-Johnston) believes it’s about informing people about the options available and slowly integrating eco-friendly programs and technologies into city and state waste management programs.

“It’s educating people,” he said.

Tricia Jedele, vice president and director for the state’s chapter of the Conservation Law Foundation, suggested state officials take a look at Massachusetts’ Solid Waste Master Plan for ideas on how to improve recycling, as Rhode Island’s plan expires in April.

Moreover, Jedele advised the commission to take a deeper look into the relationship between Rhode Island Resource Recovery, a quasi-state agency, and Broadrock Renewables. Her organization is investigating the contracts made between the two entities and questioned whether unfair profits are being made from the resources of Rhode Islanders.

“There is a significant misalignment of interests here,” she said.