Application of a decentralized approach to waste facility siting: the case of food waste in Los Angeles County, California

Keywords: food waste, anaerobic digestion, circular economy, waste to energy
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 26

Abstract

In 2016, California passed Senate Bill (SB) 1383, which mandates a 75% reduction of organic waste, including food waste (FW), from landfills by 2025 as part of a larger directive to curb GHG emissions in the state. This will be done primarily through diversion of these waste streams towards compost or anaerobic digestions (AD), not only mitigating GHG emissions at the landfill, but also generating useful outputs such as agricultural fertilizer and, in the case of AD, biogas which can be used for energy production. However, current infrastructural capacity to treat organic waste is limited throughout the state, meaning new facilities need to be built to treat these increased diversions. Within this context, this research addresses this key infrastructural gap by proposing a decentralized network of small-scale, containerized ADs for FW within Los Angeles County, the largest producer of FW in the state. A spatial FW dataset developed for this study is used with a novel iterative-descent clustering model to simulate potential “FW-sheds” for various sized ADs within the county. This approach to planning is the first to consider the geography of FW generation and discard within the county to identify not only the scale of treatment, but also the ideal location for new facilities that minimizes overall GHG emissions of the system. The proposed infrastructure is a first step of developing a zero net energy infrastructural solution that promotes a circular economy of food in direct response to SB 1383 and, more broadly, global climate change.