Recycling has come a long way in keeping many useful materials out of the country’s landfills. However, there is still progress to be made. Organic Recyclers was a group of four individuals attempting to recycle food waste from kitchens and restaurants. As member Dick Jensen put it, "there is no reason to waste valuable landfill space with recyclable products, especially when other uses are possible."
While many communities compost food waste, it is not possible year-round in all parts of the country. Also, the public often objects to the odor coming from waste waiting to be composted. What is needed, according to the Organic Recyclers, is a year-round method of processing the material that will not cause odor.
Organic Recyclers was set up in 1997 to study the possibility of using an extrusion process to produce an odorless, easily stored product that could be used for livestock feed or organic fertilizer. The plan was to collect the organic waste separately, emulsify it, and mix it with yard and paper waste. Then it would be extruded. The extrusion process heats the material by mechanical compression to form a crumbly, odorless material that could be stored for later use.
The members of the group, two farmers and two businessmen, all contributed to this unique project. Dick Jensen, who led the group, operates a small farm and extrudes soybeans for neighboring farmers to use as swine feed. His experience with an extruder was valuable since the goal was to produce an odorless product. The extrusion process kills the odor-causing bacteria and puts the material in a more manageable form that can be stored for further processing or distribution on fields.
Ed Baltensperger operates a livestock/grain farm and planned to move away from chemical fertilizers. He wanted to use the end product of this process for organic fertilizer. Baltensperger also provided skills in metal and wood fabrication.
Don Kurtzer operates a waste hauling business and was willing to take the extra time to sort or pick up the organic waste separately.
The fourth member of the group was Jim Stark, a community organizer and chief engineer at the Arbor Day Foundation's Lied Conference Center. The Lied Center is famous for its recycling efforts, mainly with wood residue. Stark also brought his experience as a biologist to the group.
During their year together, they rented use of an extruder in Iowa. There they tried several blends of paper, yard waste, and food waste. These blends were tested and samples analyzed in the lab until they found a satisfactory mixture. Although full scale testing of the process has not yet been done, the group believes it is workable.
Organic Recyclers disbanded at the end of 1997. Although they have not been able to carry out the entire project, they still think it is a good idea and plan to return to it when they can.
Contact: Dick Jensen, Nebraska City, 402-873-4384