JANUARY 7, 2008, FARMINGVILLE, NEW YORK – A report from the Cornell Cooperative Extension states that the Town of Brookhaven’s Papermill Road composting facility has been in operation since 1989 and that the town’s state-of-the-art composting operation should continue to avoid the odor problems that are common with privately run composting facilities in the Manorville area.
“The Town will insure that best composting practices are followed throughout the decomposition process to avoid anaerobic conditions and therefore the potential for odors,” the report states.
“I am happy to see this analysis of our composting facility by the Cooperative Extension,” said Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley. “Adverse effects on neighbors can be almost completely eliminated by a composting facility that uses best practices and puts the health and welfare of neighbors as a top priority, as we do in the Town of Brookhaven.
“Privately run composting facilities, on the other hand, have one primary motive--to make money off the composting operation no matter the cost paid by neighbors.”
“My district has a privately run composting facility and I wish they would take the health and welfare of their neighbors into account like the Town of Brookhaven has at the Papermill Road site,” said Councilwoman Connie Kepert. “Composting is a necessary function in a Town like Brookhaven which is mostly single family homes with yards and trees with leaves. Most of us rake those leaves bag them and place those bags curbside for pick-up, and it all has to go somewhere. All we can do is implement the best practices possible and listen to local residents’ concerns and according to the Cornell report we have done just that.”
The report says the operation “will not negatively impact groundwater.” It also states that health concerns center around dust complaints and that the “town will aggressively employ best practices… to eliminate any fugitive dust.”
The report says that the majority of materials were to be received by carters during the fall leaf collection season, mid-October to the end of December. The “vast majority” of loads, it states, were to arrive between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. No loads were to be accepted on weekends or holidays.
As for odor concerns, the report states that the Town’s best practices should virtually eliminate foul odors. Those practices include severely limiting composting of grass, sharply curtailing windrow dimensions, fostering air movement, supplying proper oxygen levels, dust suppression and the use of bulking agents. These practices, the report states, “will greatly reduce the possibility of odors occurring.”
The report says some facilities cause problems by using a number of poor practices, including:
- Windows too large to allow proper airflow.
- Lack of a bulking agent, which limits porosity and air movement.
- High volumes of grass in the compost piles, a primary cause of odor problems.
- Lack of adequate turning to promote proper aeration.
“Oversized pile construction, incorrect mix ratios and insufficient turning cause odors,” the report states.
The report states that the Manorville site processed upwards of 80,000 cubic yards of leaves annually between 1989 and 2001. From 2001 to 2006, the town facility accepted between 25,000 and 45,000 cubic yards. The Town has a DEC permit to compost up to 120,000 cubic yards at the site but has agreed to limit the amount composted there to no more than 80,0000 cubic yards.
Less than 18,000 cubic yards of leaves have been delivered to Manorville this fall.
“The Town has successfully composted at this facility and this is not something unfamiliar or new to the Town or the residents in the surrounding community,” the report states.
“The Town understands the complexities of composting and will follow strict guidelines to ensure that the composting process is done properly,” the report concludes.
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