MCUA should get rid of old practices, take look at co-composting

At the Aug. 23 meeting of the Middlesex County Utility Authority (MCUA), the directors approved Phase 11 of the Edgeboro-landfill expansion at a cost not to exceed $74.9 million. This expansion continues the old-fashioned practice of the authority, "bury and cover," a method of disposing garbage that goes back, I'm sure, to medieval times.

Concerned residents living in the immediate vicinity of the landfill objected to the expansion, since the already-existing landfill fouls our air from time to time and is an insidious form of pollution. It is expected that the expansion will cause additional, at least equally objectionable, odors in the future.

Residents asked if anything could be done to eliminate the fumes. One resident suggested that the Bedminster system of co-composting, a clean method of handling municipal waste and wastewater sludge, would eliminate all odors, as evidenced by operations in Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Canada, Egypt and other locations worldwide.

Responding at the meeting, MCUA Director Richard Fitamant stated that he had visited the Tennessee operation and found it to be unsuitable. I have a copy of his report of that visit. It was sent to the manager of the Tennessee facility, who reported back that there were several major discrepancies in the report. These discrepancies may be the basis for the MCUA not pursuing an in-depth study of the Bedminster system of co-composting.

The Bedminster system offers the following: no birds, no rodents, no odors, just salable fertilizer, less space required for the landfill and, possibly, a lower cost to process wastewater sludge and municipal solid waste. This is what the residents living near the landfill want at least evaluated, since it could improve their standard of living.

Let's face it. This is the 21st century, and a lot of scientific technology has been developed that improves the way garbage can be handled vs. the methods used in medieval times. As a resident within a mile of the Edgeboro landfill, I suggest the MCUA conduct a new, unbiased study of the possible advantages of using co-composting to process municipal solid waste and wastewater sludge. It could mean cleaner air, and our lives may depend on it.

Frank J. Coury

East Brunswick