Composted topsoil bringing in big bucks for the town

Composted topsoil created from the Island’s tree stumps, logs, leaves, manure, brush and grass is being recycled into a nice profit for the town. Superintendent of Highways Mark Ketcham, who started the program in 2002, said he budgeted $15,000 in income this year from mulch sales, and has taken in $28,000 so far at the mid-year point. The double-ground mulch, which sold at $20 per yard, became a “big hit” last year, according to Mr. Ketcham, when neighbor and commercial contractor Peder Larsen stopped making it. Mr. Ketcham said the town’s Highway Department is now the sole source of the material, except for off-Island sources with the added expense of fuel and ferry or delivery. Customers are split 50/50 in numbers between residential and commercial, but the commercial customers purchase the majority of the mulch, regularly buying it by the truckload.

The initial grinding of compost materials, which can be dropped off by residents for $.25 per pound and $.03 per pound for stumps, takes place at the Recycling Center where it must sit for a year until the second grind. In order to screen the composted topsoil, Mr. Ketcham said they rent a trommel plant machine once a year, which rotates and aerates the material, with the finer material passing through the screen openings and the larger material exiting at the rear of the drum. All year, the compost material must be rolled with bucket loaders regularly to help it break down and to avoid “sour mulch,” he said, since air, water and heat are all necessary for decomposition. Windrows of compost piles fill a large portion of the Recycling Center’s area, which will most likely result in a space issue at the location. A solution to the problem could be the purchase of the town’s own grinding and screening equipment in order to process the compost faster, according to Mr. Ketcham, who plans to present this idea to the town.

Also generating a new source of income at the Recycling Center is the paper baler delivered in May that has been generating one bale of compressed paper per day, according to Highway Department employee Brian Sherman. Mr. Sherman said one bale is equal to a ton of paper and the town will now get paid $120 per ton. This is a welcome alternative to the former practice of sending mixed paper off-Island to Winter Brothers Waste Systems, which could have cost the town approximately $100,000 next year, he said. The cost of the new equipment was $85,000, and Mr. Sherman said “we will eventually get 50 percent of that back,” referring to a $42,500 grant that the Department of Environmental Conservation offers as an incentive for recycling.
Another benefit of the new paper recycling baler is that residents no longer need to separate their newspaper, magazines and household paper. The combined compressed paper bales are sold to Pratt Paper of Staten Island for production of 100 percent recycled paper products. Pratt Paper leaves its trailers at the Recycling Center, and picks up the bales after they are loaded by town employees.

The Island generates seven thousand tons of waste a year, according to Mr. Sherman. With the implementation of the new programs he believes it is one more process that “generates revenue and also gets rid of the waste.” Other items accepted at the Recycling Center that can be discarded at no charge include tin cans, many types of plastic, glass, cardboard, metal, old electronics and hazardous materials including paint, paint thinner, gasoline, oil and grease. Most of these recycled items result in income for the town. Items that the town does not sell are available to residents, such as ground glass offered at no charge, and recycled concrete at $20 per yard.  Both the ground glass and recycled concrete are used frequently as a base for driveways and other fill uses.

The Recycling Center located on Menantic Road is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The facility currently accepts cash and checks, but Mr. Ketcham said he hopes to take credit cards in the future, as it will increase revenue. Mr. Ketcham, who has been the superintendent of highways for 10 years, and with the department for 30 years will not seek re-election and plans to retire from the department on December 31.