Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Waste To Biogas Mapping Tool
Purpose
- This interactive map is designed to connect producers of organic waste — such as food processing centers, dairies, and organic waste collection programs — to facilities that can use that waste to enhance biogas production through co-digestion.
- Co-digestion is a process whereby additional, energy-rich organic waste materials (e.g. Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) and/or food scraps) are added to a dairy or wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) anaerobic digester with excess capacity. For more on co-digestion see Turning Food Waste into Energy at the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)
- EPA encourages the diversion of organic materials from landfills because: 1) By diverting organic materials, communities can reduce methane emissions associated with landfills, the second largest anthropogenic source of methane in the United States; and 2) By diverting organic materials from landfills, "waste" becomes a resource to create energy, a soil amendment, or both.
- Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) accumulate and can clog pipes and pumps both in the public sewer lines as well as in wastewater treatment facilities. In addition to enhancing biogas production through co-digestion, diverting unwelcome FOG from our wastewater infrastructure also prevents combined sewer overflows, which protects water quality and lowers bills.
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Source of organic waste included as part of the tool are:
- Food processing facilities
- Cities with Organics Collection Program (California Only)
- Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Collection Sites
- Dairies (California Only)
- Potential users of organic waste included as part of this tool are:
- Wastewater Treatment Facilities with Anaerobic Digesters
- FOG Haulers (CA, AZ, and NV only)
- Landfills (California Only)
- Dairies with digesters (California only)
Did you know?
- Food scraps accounts for approximately 18% of what is currently reaching landfills in the United States.
- Food scraps has three times the methane production potential of biosolids.
- By co-digesting biosolids with FOG and/or food waste, wastewater treatment facilities with excess digester capacity can save and make money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and generating renewable energy.
- In California alone there are almost 140 wastewater treatment facilities that utilize anaerobic digesters, with an estimated excess capacity of 15-30%.
- If 50% of the food scraps generated each year in the U.S. was anaerobically digested, enough electricity would be generated to power over 2.5 million homes for a year.
- For more information on biosolids, co-digestion, anaerobic digestion, renewable energy, and FOG, please visit:
Guide to Anaerobic Digesters, Methane to Markets Partnership, or AgSTAR Funding On-Farm Biogas Recovery Systems
Disclaimer:
This data is offered here as a general representation only and is not to be re-used without verification by an independent professional qualified to verify such data or information. The EPA does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, omissions, or timeliness of the information shown and shall not be liable for any loss or injury resulting from reliance upon the information or through the use of this mapping program. The mention of a commercial product does not constitute endorsement or recommendation of use by the U.S. Government.