Dive Brief:

• BioEnergy Hawaii LLC has announced that it will begin construction on a $50 million resource recovery facility in West Hawaii late next year.
• The company will lease about 15 acres near the West Hawaii Sanitary Landfill to build a facility that can process up to 200 tons of material per day with the potential for an expansion to 400 tons. Using a variety of processing methods the company aims to divert 70% of incoming waste from the landfill.
• A draft environmental assessment was recently released for the project. Once the comment period is complete the company hopes to have permits finalized by late next year and have the facility operational by 2019.

Dive Insight:

This type of mixed waste processing approach is seen as a good way to increase resource recovery while also extending the landfill's lifespan. Recyclable commodities will be separated out and organic material will go through an anaerobic digester to create natural gas, fertilizer or compost. Remaining materials such as mixed paper, textiles, low-value plastic and wood will be converted into post-recycled engineered fuel briquettes.

The project is being touted for its closed loop potential because of multiple opportunities to use the resources locally. BioEnergy Hawaii is currently finalizing a natural gas supply agreement with the utility Hawaii Gas for use in area hotels and is also encouraging haulers to convert to compressed natural gas vehicles that can take advantage of the energy supply.

While some mixed waste facilities have experienced challenges in recent years, this one has a lot of potential due to its diverse processing capabilities and proximity to the landfill. A similar project was recently approved in California's Santa Barbara County to help extend the lifespan of a local landfill and the nearby city of Glendale is also looking into building a digester at its own landfill.