Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes businesses that produce organic waste suitable for composting. Our consulting team includes a solid waste business consultant, Brooke Beal, who has been actively making inquiries with the target audience and has uncovered some significant potential supply stocks for composting. The following summarizes an online survey Brooke Beal completed during April and May 2025: Introduction Below is a summary of the preliminary findings of a survey conducted to assess the community's awareness, behaviors, and attitudes towards organic waste management in the City of Decatur. To date, a total of 72 participants responded to the survey out of 584 survey requests. 1. Familiarity with Organic Waste Management 44% of respondents are somewhat familiar with organic waste management. 30% reported being very familiar. 14% indicated they were extremely familiar. 12% had little or no familiarity. 2. Current Food Waste Disposal Methods 53% dispose of food waste in general trash. 35% compost food waste at home. 12% use other methods or did not specify. Less than 2% use municipal bins or special collection programs. 3. Perceived Impact of a City-Wide Program 59% believe a city-wide organic waste program would have a significant impact on reducing landfill waste. 36% think the impact would be moderate or minimal. 5% see no benefit. 4. Challenges for Implementation 46% see public acceptance as a major challenge. 20% cite lack of infrastructure. 14% are concerned about costs. 20% mention regulatory issues or other concerns. 5. Anticipated Community Benefits 55% anticipate environmental sustainability as the main benefit. 20% expect job creation. 11% see benefits in public health and economic savings. 14% provided other responses. 6. Willingness to Participate 80% of respondents are likely or very likely to participate in a city-run organic waste program. 20% are neutral or unlikely to participate. 7. Community Awareness and Feedback Only 8% have heard feedback from others in the community regarding organic waste management. 83% have not heard any feedback. 8. Suggestions for Promoting Effective Management 56% support improved waste infrastructure and incentives. 20% recommend educational campaigns. 24% suggest partnerships or other strategies. 9. Organizational Waste Generation 30% of organizations represented in the survey produce organic waste. 95% of this is food scrap. 10. Interest in Follow-Up 11 respondents provided contact details for follow-up. 27 individuals submitted their email addresses. Conclusion The survey highlights a strong interest in and support for organic waste management in Decatur. While most respondents are willing to participate and see environmental benefits, challenges like public acceptance and infrastructure need to be addressed. Another target audience is the larger community. We have reached this audience through presentations to the Macon County Community Environmental Council. Changes/Problems:There has been a concern from upper management in the City about the potential operating costs for a new composting operation, given the current fiscal constraints facing the City of Decatur. Accordingly, the plan will only consider private operation of a composting facility. However, the City may still consider providing land for the facility. If so, the operator would be selected through a competitive RFP. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project reached out to Dr. Kenneth Landau, a sociology professor at Millikin University. He teaches a class on environmental awareness and often uses Decatur as a case study. The possibility of using composting as a research topic was provided to his students. A site visit was completed at the Good Samaritan Inn Mercy Gardens project. A 9-acre urban garden was recently completed there, and a 6-inch layer of compost was used at the site for soil regeneration. One of the missions of the Mercy Gardens project is workforce development. An opening for a seasonal gardener was promoted in the author's network. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Two presentations wereprovided to the Macon County Environmental Council. One of the board members expressed an interest in starting a cooperative for food scrap composting, which would include training.Contact was also made with a representative of the Illinois Environemental Council, and the project was promoted in their network. Progress on the project is regularly included in the monthly reports to the City Council, which are published on the agenda for the second meeting each month. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?A composting task force will be formed. The anticipated membership includes: Urban ag. Possibly Mercy Gardens Rural ag. Possibly Farm Bureau Excess food generator. Possibly Tillamook Environmental advocacy. Possibly MCCEC Wastewater. SDD Waste hauler. WM or GFL Industry. ADM or Primient Education. DPS 61 or FFA Parks. Parks District or Conservation District Watershed. Soil Conservation District Economic Development. Lacie or designee Composters (both invited) County. Supervisor from that district. Potential beneficial use of compost will be researched. These include soil conservation within the agricultural watershed, urban agriculture, marketing to local garden suppliers, tree planting and turf maintenance in public spaces, and restoration of the Oakley Sediment Basin to a prairie habitat. A conceptual design of the compost facility on the selected site will be completed. A report will be prepared, to be reviewed by the task force and approved by the City Council. An RFP will be prepared for a public-private partnership to build and operate the compost facility on the selected site. Grantseeking for the implementation of the plan is also anticipated.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The initial task of assessing the existing flow of organic waste has been completed. Here is a summary: Task 1 - Summarize Organic Waste Management in Decatur The analysis of Macon County's annual MSW generation in 2020 draws from three sources, revealing variations in waste estimates. The Macon County Solid Waste Plan (2024) reports 7.74 pounds per capita, equating to 146,929 tons annually. The IDECO/IRA 2009 Study estimates a slightly higher 8.17 pounds per capita, or 155,604 tons. In contrast, Macon County Annual Hauler Reports indicate a significantly higher 10.22 pounds per capita, totaling 194,066 tons. Averaging these figures, the county generates approximately 165,353 tons of MSW annually. These differences underscore the variability in data collection methods, with hauler reports suggesting higher waste output. Population trends in Macon County, as reported by the St. Louis Federal Reserve, show a consistent decline from 1980 to 2023. This declining population likely influences waste generation rates and informs the scale of infrastructure needed for waste management, including composting facilities. Waste characterization data provides insight into the composition of Macon County's MSW. According to the 2024 Macon County Solid Waste Plan, paper constitutes 25.30% of the waste stream, followed by plastics at 11.50%, textiles at 5.40%, landscape waste at 5.30%, waste metal at 5.20%, electronics/appliances at 3.40%, bulky items at 3.30%, glass at 1.70%, batteries/tires at 1.10%, household hazardous waste (HHW) at 0.20%, and other materials at 14.70%. Organic waste percentage was not specified in this dataset. However, the IDECO/IRA 2009 Study offers a more detailed breakdown, identifying construction and demolition (C&D) waste at 25.30%, organics at 20.70%, plastics at 13.00%, textiles at 7.00%, metal at 4.80%, glass at 2.80%, inorganics at 2.40%, batteries/tires at 1.10%, HHW at 0.40%, and beverage containers at 0.20%. These data highlight the prominence of organic and C&D waste, making them critical targets for waste reduction strategies like composting. The IDECO/IRA 2009 Study estimates organic waste at 20.70% of the total waste stream, while the USEPA 2012 Study reports a higher 34.30%. The Macon County Solid Waste Plan (2024) does not provide a specific percentage for organics. Averaging the available data, organic material constitutes approximately 30.08% of MSW. Using 2020 tonnage figures, organic waste projections vary by source: the IDECO/IRA percentage yields 30,414 tons (County Plan), 40,172 tons (Hauler Reports), and 32,098 tons (IDECO/IRA data). Applying the USEPA percentage, the estimates rise to 50,397 tons (County Plan), 54,339 tons (Hauler Reports), and 43,418 tons (IDECO/IRA data). Averaging these projections, the County Plan estimates 40,405 tons, Hauler Reports estimate 47,255 tons, and IDECO/IRA data estimate 37,758 tons, with an overall average of 41,806 tons of organic waste annually. This significant volume underscores the need for robust organic waste management strategies. Additional sources of organic material, such as biosolids from sanitary sewer districts, industrial waste, and other unspecified sources, have been identified but specific tonnage data has not been quantified, indicating a need for further investigation to complete Decatur's organic waste profile. These sources will be further investigated after completion of a stakeholder's survey. There are two compost facilities in Macon County near the City of Decatur. These are the Macon County Compost Facility and the Decatur Compost Facility. They have a permitted capacity to accept 105,000 cubic yards and 55,000 cubic yards of landscape waste respectively, on an annual basis. In calendar year 2022 they reported to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that they accepted a combined total of approximately 18,000 cubic yards of landscape waste. Neither facility accepted other organic waste materials. Tasks 4,7 and 8 - Conceptual Design of an Organic Materials Composting Facility; Cost of Land; Siting Study of Oakley Sediment Basin and other Alternative Locations Three sites were evaluated for an organic compost facility. The City of Decatur currently owns each location. These were: The Oakly Sediment Basin Land adjacent to the City of Decatur Water Treatment Lime Residuals Storage Lagoon Land West of Lincoln Memorial Parkway (IL-27) approximately five miles west of the City of Decatur. Summary: The Oakley sediment basin meets the location standards for a landscape waste compost facility in the Illinois regulations. Development would require construction of an access road on the top surface of the basin leading to the selected compost area. Other infrastructure items required include electric service, equipment storage/office, water service and improvements to a weight-restricted county road leading to the entrance of the basin. A conceptual design is not advisable for this location because a more suitable site is available (refer to the information below). The land adjacent to the City of Decatur lime storage lagoon is in a floodplain area and does not meet the Illinois compost facility location standards. A compost facility west of Lincoln Memorial Parkway in Unincorporated Macon County needs a Special Use permit. It is the location of a former sand and gravel mine operated by Vulcan Materials and has appropriate zoning compatible with a compost facility. The property has interior access roads, a scale and storage building to support operations. A further review of subsurface soils from water well logs reveal the presence of low permeability soils near the ground surface. The soil depth will meet the Illinois criteria for barrier soil separation distance between a composting surface and the water table. Recommend this site for further conceptual design as an organic material compost facility. As the City of Decatur owns each property, the cost of land was not assessed. A
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