DURHAM, NC

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Atlas Organics in North Carolina

Durham

Project Partner: City of Durham, NC
Date began: May 2018
Facility capacity: 65,000 TPY
Materials composted: Yard Waste, Food Waste, and Biosolids

Atlas Organics Durham facilities have a combined 65,000 TPY processing capacity accepting yard waste, food waste, and biosolids through a public-private partnership with the City of Durham, NC. Services available include commercial compost sales. Atlas Compost is  STA Certified.

Atlas has an 11-year contract with the City to process these feedstocks. Historically the facility has processed 14,933 TPY of yard waste and 12,138 TPY of biosolids (North Durham Water Reclamation Facility (WRF)).

There are two permitted facilities as part of the project. One facility is permitted as a NCDEQ Type I composting facility for 15,000 TPY and the second is a NCDEQ Division of Water Resources Type IV composting facility permitted for 50,000 TPY of biosolids, food waste, and yard waste. Atlas has been managing the Type I facility since May 2018 completing a permit modification to convert the facility to EASP in August 2018. Atlas worked with Smith Gardner engineers to permit the Type IV facility in January 2019. The next step of the project is to help the City work to integrate residential and commercial food waste into the comprehensive organics program in 2020.

At the City of Durham Type 1, yard waste is collected by the City from the curb and delivered to an approximately 3-acre composting area located next to the City’s landfill and transfer station. The material is ground utilizing a Rotochopper B66 grinder to a 4‐inch minus. The material is then either integrated into the eight‐blower yard waste composting extended aerated static pile (EASP) composting system at the Type I facility or transferred via a walking floor to the Type IV facility located approximately one‐quarter mile away at the North Durham WRF, a wastewater treatment facility. Atlas is currently converting two biosolids drying sheds into a composting area for the City. The ground yard waste is currently blended with the Class B biosolids from the North Durham WFR. It is then put into a 21‐day phase EASP system. After this, the material will cure for 30-45 days before being screened to 3⁄8 inch minus and sold back into the marketplace.

 

Tell us more about what you need.

“Atlas Organics has been a great partner helping to modify our Type I permit and start operating our 15,000 TPY yard waste composting program. They have also been helpful in developing and drafting the permit for our Type IV composting facility to come online in early 2019. This facility will be permitted for an additional 50,000 tons per year of processing capacity and be able to help with our biosolids disposal process. Atlas Organics has worked with many governmental departments on both the City and State level to make this project happen and has proven themselves as a good development and operating partner.”

Dan Parker, City of Durham Solid Waste Manager

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