Recipient Organization
COUNTY OF BEAUFORT
100 RIBAUT RD
BEAUFORT,SC 29901
Performing Department
Public Works
Non Technical Summary
According to South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control's (SCDHEC) 2022 Solid Waste Management Annual Report (Annual Report), it was reported that approximately 18.37 percent of the waste stream sent to landfill disposal in South Carolina consisted of yard waste and other organic material. In the Annual Report, SCDHEC's recommendation to local government was to "maximize food waste reduction and recovery". The EPA has also set a goal to target food waste, with a goal to achieve 50 percent food waste reduction and diversion by 2030. Beaufort County has made a commitment to re-evaluate its solid waste management program to meet SCDHEC and EPA's food waste diversion goals. Through this project, the key objectives are to increase residential education, encourage food waste prevention, produce nutrient-rich compost, and protect agricultural lands and culture through the promotion of sustainable agriculture practices. By diverting organic waste from the landfill and creating compost, local communities will be better educated about composting, what is needed, and why it is important. Through the education and pilot program with Beaufort County residents, the community will directly benefit from these efforts by utilizing high-quality compost to improve the quality of their soils, aid in water retention, and promote crop growth while also reducing greenhouse gases associated with landfill disposal. The County currently has no access to composting infrastructure. This pilot project will help understand the County's ability to operate, finance, and retain participation in a County-wide organics program. Other counties with limited access to composting will also be able to use the results of this study to help develop and implement their own food waste diversion programs.To initiate the compost pilot program Beaufort County intends to implement a robust public education and community outreach program. The outreach program will consist of creating a compost character to serve as a mascot to the program and assist in educating the public. Other educational materials will be created to assist in the outreach efforts such as pamphlets, videos, posters, and signage. To ensure the success of the program the County will collaborate with local stakeholders and formalize partnerships to bring the pilot program plan to fruition. Such partnerships will include a local composting company, a local organic hauling company and a local consulting firm to assist in the management of the study. Additional partnerships will include Beaufort County schools and local businesses interested in spearheading a Green Business Program. Once all stakeholders and partners are secured the County will then develop the organic waste collection and infrastructure program. This will entail distributing countertop bins to residents, improving County Convenient Centers by installing organics recycling bins, and implementing curbside residential collection programs. The success of the education and outreach program will be measured based on the number of residents and stakeholders reached, as well as the number of outreach materials produced throughout the program. For the pilot compost program, organic materials collected and diverted will be tracked and monitored for reporting purposes. The quantity of materials collected, the compost product produced, and the end-user consumption and use of the product will be documented to assess the program's effectiveness.The goal of the program is to decrease the amount of organic waste disposed of in the local landfill, increase the production of compost material, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. In addition, the local population will be educated on the benefits and importance of waste diversion, as well as the positive effects of compost applications. Residents will benefit from the goals of the pilot program by having a decrease in the emissions generated from landfilling organic materials and preserving the water quality of the area with the use of compost on local agricultural lands.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The program's goals are to increase education efforts regarding organic waste reduction and diversion, increase compost program participation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with organic waste landfill disposal, and increase compost accessibility to local agricultural producers. Additional goals and objectives are identified below:Goal 1: Implement Public Education/Community Outreach ProgramObjective 1- Target Historically Underserved CommunitiesSt. Helena is one of the County's 13 census tracts identified as disadvantaged. St. Helena is ranked over the 90thpercentile for expected agricultural loss. This Project would directly benefit these communities by increasing soil health, crop production, and water quality through the application of compost. It would also divert methane emissions associated with the disposal of organic waste.Objective 2 - Create a Comprehensive Outreach Program and MaterialsThe County will develop a comprehensive outreach program to support this pilot project. Namely, it will create a composting mascot and generate and distribute educational materials (e.g., pamphlets, videos, posters, signage, etc.).Goal 2: Collaborate with County StakeholdersObjective 3: Formalize Partnerships with County StakeholdersThe County has reached out to its local stakeholders to identify possible partners for this pilot project. Thus far, the following partners have shown interest and are committed to supporting this Project's success:Daly Organics - A composting company located in Beaufort County will be the lead compost processor of the County's collected organic waste.Smart Recycling- An organics and food waste hauling company will assist with the curbside organics collection programs.HDR Engineering, Inc. - An engineering firm acting as the County's Solid Waste Management Consultant will perform the Pilot Project Study.Objective 4: Execute Composting ContractThrough its partnership with Daly Organics, the County will execute a composting contract for Daly Organics to process the collected organics. The County may execute multiple contracts for composting processing and other services to meet the needs and goals of this Project.Objective 5: Implement Organics Collection in SchoolsThis pilot project will involve creating a school-focused outreach program complete with education materials and organics recycling containers to support organics diversion from the solid waste stream.Objective 6: Implement Green Business ProgramThrough the new Green Business Program, businesses that recycle plastic and glass and divert their food waste will be awarded the honor of being a certified Beaufort County Green Business.Goal 3: Develop Organic Waste Collection Infrastructure and ProgramsObjective 7: Distribute Residential Compost BinsThe County will provide residents with kitchen countertop bins to collect their organic waste. Initially, residents will be able to bring this material to the Collection Centers for composting. The second phase of the Project will deploy a curbside organics collection program in hopes of increasing participation.Objective 8: Construct Organics Recycling Bins at Collection CentersThis Project will purchase commercial dumpsters to collect organic materials at the Collection Centers and then transport them to an off-site composter.Objective 9: Implement Curbside Residential Organics Collection ProgramsThe second phase of this Project will implement a curbside residential organics collection program.Goal 4: Monitor Program ProgressObjective 10: Collect and track diverted organic materials tonnage dataAs part of the collection and hauling activities, the County will measure the quantity of organic materials collected and diverted from landfill disposal.Objective 11: Collect and track compost production cubic yard dataThrough its partners, the County will be able to record the amount of compost product produced as a result of this pilot project.Objective 12: Report compost use quantity and locationThis pilot project will prioritize compost products being used by agricultural producers such as farms and community gardens. The Project will track and monitor the end-use destination, quantity, and frequency of delivery of the compost product.Objective 13: Quantity compost application benefitsThroughout the duration of the pilot project, the County will coordinate with the end users to better understand the benefits of compost application.Goal 5: Increase Compost Application for Agricultural ProducersObjective 14: Develop an Effective Compost Marketing CampaignTo target agricultural producers, particularly within St. Helena and other disadvantaged communities, the County and through its partners will advertise the sale of compost and compost giveaway events. This will be tracked by the number of agricultural producers contacted.
Project Methods
Task 1: Grant Monitoring and ReportingThroughout the grant term from the Notice to Proceed to the Final Report, the County will monitor, track, and report:The number of participants reached through the education and outreach activitiesThe number of participants belonging to underserved communitiesThe tonnage of organic waste diverted through the drop-off and collection programsThe cubic yards of compost produced as a result of this ProjectThe quantity and location of compost used by agricultural producersDeliverables and Milestones:Monthly progress reports detailing the information aboveSuccessfully monitoring, tracking, and reporting during the grant term to gauge the program's impact.Task 2: Pilot Project StudyThe purpose of this task is to design the pilot project study to maximize its success in participation, organic waste diversion, and compost production. It is estimated the pilot project study will take approximately six months. The County has retained HDR Engineering, Inc. as its Solid Waste Management Consultant, which includes evaluating the County's organic waste management, collection, and processing.Deliverables and Milestones:Pilot Project Study Final Report, Recommendations, and Next StepsComplete the pilot project study within six months from Notice to ProceedIdentify key steps to implement program components during the grant termTask 3: Formalize PartnershipsThe County has confirmed Daly Organics, Smart Recycling, and HDR Engineering, Inc. are ready and willing to support this Project. Daly Organics will receive and process the diverted organic materials into compost products. Smart Recycling will perform curbside organics collection services for residents and businesses. HDR Engineering, Inc. will perform the Pilot Project Study.Deliverables and Milestones:Execute Compost Processing Contract with Daly OrganicsExecute Organic Waste Collection Services Contract with Smart RecyclingInitiate Pilot Project Study with HDR Engineering, Inc.Divert Organic Waste to Daly Organics on a weekly basisImplement curbside collection programs for at least 200 residential homes and five commercial businessesTask 4: Community Outreach PlanEducation will be paramount to the pilot project's success. The County plans to utilize educational materials such as pamphlets and printed materials, and digital infomercials featuring "Rerun" the County's well-known recycling mascot, and the debut of "Callie the Compost Bin". Mailers to educate residents on the new organics initiative and an invitation to sign up for a training session to be given a free countertop organics bin will be sent out throughout the pilot project to increase participation. More advanced education tools will include formative presentations hosted at local libraries, community meetings, and virtual webinars.Deliverables and Milestones:Implement County-wide Education and Outreach Program with a specific focus on St. Helena and other underserved communitiesOutreach to a total of 2,500 residential homes, with at least 50% belonging to an underserved communityTask 5: Collection Center ImprovementsThe County Collection Centers will be used as organic waste drop-off locations. Residents can drop off organic waste for free at participating Collection Centers. Community compost collection containers will be installed at multiple centers. During the residential, commercial, and school organics collection programs, organic waste will be collected by Smart Recycling and sent to a centrally located, permitted transfer station to be consolidated then hauled to Daly Organics. Collection bins will be purchased to provide residents an avenue to discard organic waste at the Collection Centers, where currently, residents can bring recyclables and trash. The collection bins will be two-cubic yard commercial dumpsters. Informative signage for the community bins will display acceptable and unacceptable materials to be placed in the compost bins. Other signage will display the benefits of composting as opposed to sending organic waste to the landfill. The dumpsters will allow ease in the collection of organic waste via a front-load collection truck. The County will also purchase an aerobic composter to be installed at one of the Collection Centers or at a participating partner location.Deliverables and Milestones:Purchase and Install Commercial Dumpsters at Collection CentersPurchase and install aerobic composting unitCreate and Install Organics-Specific SignageDevelop Organics Drop-off Locations onsite at minimum of four Collection CentersTask 6: Residential Drop-Off ProgramSmall home compost bins will be distributed to residents who participate in educational composting presentations and events. Presentations will be held at local libraries and other public places as well as through virtual sessions. Once the resident receives their certificate signifying completion of training and successful passing of a short corresponding exam, they will be awarded a countertop compost bin to collect and store their food waste at home. The countertop bins provide a convenient method to divert food waste and transport it to the Collection Centers.Deliverables and Milestones:Distribute countertop compost bins to residentsGain at least 500 residential homes participating in the Organics Drop-Off Program throughout the grant term (in addition to 100 residential homes participating in the curbside collection program - Task 8)Task 7: Compost Product Marketing CampaignTo help promote the compost produced from this Pilot Project, the County will develop and implement a marketing campaign specifically targeting local agricultural producers such as farmers and community gardens.Deliverables and Milestones:Promote Compost products to at least twelve agricultural producers located in the CountyDistribute at least 50% of compost produced to at least three agricultural producers located in the CountyTask 8: Residential Curbside Collection ProgramBeaufort County will partner with Smart Recycling to transport organics from residential homes to a centrally located, permitted transfer station. From the transfer site, the material will be transported in bulk to the composting facility operated by Daly Organics. To facilitate the curbside composting Pilot Project, the County would like to provide curbside collection bins to interested communities. Communities who opt-in to the program will receive the curbside bins. Such communities will also receive training regarding what is allowable in their bins. Smart Recycling will monitor the bins to prevent contamination and provide training when needed.Deliverables and Milestones:Develop Organics Only Collection RoutesDistribute Curbside Collection Bins to Residential HomesEnroll at least 200 residential homes in the curbside collection programTask 9: Commercial Businesses Collection ProgramThrough the new Green Business Program, businesses that recycle plastic and glass and divert their food waste will be awarded the honor of being a certified Beaufort County Green Business.Deliverables and Milestones:Develop Green Business Program for commercial participantsAward at least five commercial businesses as certified Beaufort County Green BusinessesTask 10: School Collection and Education ProgramThe County will integrate the pilot project into the local schools. This involves providing educational materials, organics collection bins, and hauling services.Deliverables and Milestones:Formalize partnership with school(s) to implement organics education and collection servicesImplement organics education and collection services to at least one local school