Share these valuable resources directly from the SCS Website.
ReFED, the San Francisco-based nonprofit committed to reducing food waste in the U.S., has released the Food Waste Action Guide for the foodservice and restaurant sectors, which state that there is a 16 million ton opportunity to reduce food waste and to recover the equivalent of 1.5 billion meals per year within the two sectors.
The guide follows the 2016 publication, A Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20 Percent. Both publications were developed in partnership with the Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA) along with input from more than 80 expert contributors and a number of restaurants across the country, are designed to help industry leaders develop and implement food waste reduction strategies.
They provide best practices and strategies as well as present a set of proven prevention, recovery and recycling solutions to help the foodservice and restaurant sectors prioritize and accelerate waste reduction activities. Food waste reduction is quickly becoming a key element of financial and reputational value for restaurants and foodservice providers.
As some landfill owners have learned the hard way, the co-disposal of construction and demolition (C&D) fines or sulfur-containing industrial wastes in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills can generate hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. H2S emissions are problematic at a landfill as they can cause odor, create worker safety issues, and cause wear or damage to landfill gas (LFG) collection and energy utilization components. Sulfur content in landfill gas can also impact air permitting for a landfill, either in the form of fugitive H2S emissions or sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from combustion.
We will discuss the biological, chemical and physical conditions necessary for H2S generation in a landfill. H2S generation can be prevented by knowing which waste types are likely to contain sulfate and testing incoming waste streams when appropriate. We will also discuss the complexities in trying to model and predict H2S generation in MSW landfills. For sites with high H2S concentrations and/or low H2S limits, we will review different H2S treatment technologies in use today.
Hundreds of closed landfills in Wisconsin are required to perform groundwater monitoring and reporting. Typically, the frequency of monitoring, size of the monitoring well arrays, and the list of required parameters, was established many years ago as part of the landfill operating permit or closure plan approval. There is a potential to reduce, or terminate landfill monitoring when groundwater quality improvements are documented. WDNR guidance entitled “Reducing or Terminating Groundwater Monitoring at Solid Waste Landfills,” (PUB-WA 1013) provides instructions for requesting reductions to monitoring requirements.
Learn about new revisions to the WDNR guidance, developed with input from the WDNR’s Waste and Materials Management Study Group, which are intended to improve both the range of options for monitoring reductions and the process for requesting reductions. In addition to providing procedures for reduction in monitoring frequency, new revisions to the guidance include procedures for requesting reductions to the required number of monitoring wells and parameters. The revised guidance also provides instructions for communicating monitoring reduction requests to the WDNR review hydrogeologists.
SWANA’s new online testing platform gives members and industry professionals easy access to SWANA’s leading certification courses and exams.
The online testing platform has many benefits:
“The SWANA platform provides students the opportunity to read through the content and take their time preparing for exams; a valuable part of the learning process,” said Tracie Bills, SWANA/CRRA Zero Waste Course Instructor and Northern California Director at SCS Engineers.
President, Washington DC Post of SAME
The Washington D.C. Post of the Society of Military Engineers (SAME) Board of Directors selected David Hostetter for his Outstanding Contributions by a Young Civilian Member.
Hostetter says he focuses on three things in his work: using his engineering skills to make a difference in the world, serving his clients wholeheartedly, and mentoring other young professionals as he was mentored.
Hostetter mentors other young professionals by involving them in hands-on engineering projects which helps them to discover how design impacts installation and operations. They have the opportunity to ask questions and to work with senior level engineers and experienced field staff. Dave learned valuable lessons this way, and he is passing those lessons and best practices on to others.
Hostetter is now the Eastern Regional Manager of SCS RMC®, which stands for remote monitoring and control technology. Several industries use this proven technology for the simultaneous viewing, analysis, alerting, and control of equipment and systems critical to production and safe operations.
Well done, Dave!
Read the press release or learn more about Dave Hostetter.
As the real estate market improves, interest in these brownfields properties is too.
Redeveloping landfill sites can be challenging but has been successfully done in the past. Start your project by engaging the relevant agencies to negotiate the path forward for development. Specific conditions of approval should be negotiated based on prudent engineering practice and real, rather than perceived, public health and safety hazards. With the proper diligence and planning, redeveloped landfill properties can become a valuable community asset.
Read the article and case studies from around the country here.
Odor management remains one of the most daunting tasks for any solid waste facility. Part I of Pat Sullivan’s series on odor management at solid facilities covered regulatory
requirements with two case studies detailing real-world examples of facilities battling odor issues. Part II of his series covers odor assessment, monitoring and
mitigation strategies.
Part I – Regulatory Requirements
Part II – Assessment, Monitoring and Mitigation
About the author, Pat Sullivan
High-pressure injection of liquids can be challenging in Class I wells where depths exceed 10,000 feet and extreme temperature variations occur between injection and shut-in conditions. Elevated downhole temperatures at these depths create a high-temperature differential between the injectate and annular fluid resulting in significant swings of annulus pressure and surface seal pot volumes. One-way micro tubing leaks at joints have also occurred due to these conditions.
The injectate cools the annular fluid resulting in contraction of the annular liquid and lowering of the seal pot volume, which requires the addition of fluid into the annulus. Once the wells are shut in, annular pressures rise as the annulus fluid is warmed by the native formation fluid, creating an increased pressure differential on the downhole components and increasing the seal pot volume and potentially creating high-pressure situations in the annulus. In addition to the labor-intensive operation of having to add and remove liquid from the annular space, greater downhole pressure differentials may affect long-term integrity of the injection tubing and protective casing.
Maintenance of an annulus pressure that is less than the injection pressure, similar to the operation of more shallow Class I wells, is impractical under the operating scenario for deeper wells. It also creates the potential for fluid migration from the tubing into the annular space in the event of a leak.
Monte Markley, P.G., and Stephanie Hill will present this and more at the 2018 Underground Injection Control (UIC) Conference. The presentation will focus on the design and implementation of an innovative high-pressure annulus monitoring system that mitigates the presence of micro tubing leaks in joints, and pressure and temperature swings of the annulus.
Marc Rogoff sees unprecedented factors in play as “The Perfect Storm”—the banning of solid waste materials and imposing an almost unreachable contamination standard on bales entering China.
Read his recent article to get started on a solution relevant in your region and return again to follow our series of articles on what you can do to continue supporting or changing your program.
The article covers association actions, regional impacts, funding, and more.
Governor Pete Ricketts recently re-appointed Mike Miller of SCS Engineers to the Governor’s Council to Keep Nebraska Beautiful for an additional term until December 31, 2020. In a letter dated December 19, 2017, the Governor expressed his gratitude for Mike’s valuable input and service to the citizens of the state of Nebraska.
Congratulations Mike. We’re proud of you!
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