MUNICIPAL COMPOSTING

COMPOSTING SYSTEMS FOR CITIES AND TOWNS

Municipalities across the country use GMT’s composting systems to help them manage their organic residuals in a responsible and efficient way. Whether for a complete curbside compost pickup program, a wastewater treatment facility, or an urban garden, GMT has solutions for your composting needs.

One of our more recent projects includes a Turned Aerated Pile (TAP) system for the City of Phoenix. This system allows the City to divert up to 220,000 tons of green and food waste per year and is helping them reach their goal of diverting 40% of their waste from landfills by 2020.

The Turned Aerated Pile (TAP) is the fastest way to make compost on a large scale. Unlike static piles, TAP systems are turned 2 to 3 times per week to break up organic material, re-establish porosity and re-wet the compost.  TAP systems require below grade aeration systems to allow for regular turning without the hassle of re-positioning above grade piping.  GMT specializes in below grade reversing aeration system design.  Odors are managed using bio-filters and bio-covers that meet the most stringent air quality regulations. The compact footprint makes it possible to put a facility inside a building and also minimize the stormwater collection requirements for outdoor installations. 

TAP systems need efficient extended trapezoidal pile side discharge turners such as the Vermeer CT1010 which will turn a mass bed at a rate of up to 2000 cubic yards per hour.  The TAP design allows for the most efficient handing, smallest footprint, and the highest throughput possible. A six acre site with two equipment operators can process over 300 tons per day (110,000 tons per year) from the initial grinding process to the final loadout making this the most streamlined and profitable system available today.

Municipalities an use our Containerized Compost System (CCS) if they need a composting solution for smaller input volume and an entirely enclosed system with exceptional process control. Composting takes place in controlled batches with airtight vessels (CompTainers™) that can be moved and emptied by roll-off trucks. Each CompTainer is closely controlled to optimize decomposition, meet regulatory requirements and minimize odors. The unique aeration system can integrate up to 50 CompTainers into a single system. Add a small building for receiving and mixing plus a biofilter to remove odors, and you have a completely enclosed compost system at a fraction of the cost of other in-vessel systems. 

For neighborhood, garden, or public park composting solutions, take a look at our Earth Cube and Earth Flow Systems. These smaller systems are easy to use, maintain, and transport.

composting at the city of phoenix