Divert’s breaks ground on anaerobic digestion facility driven by Washington’s Organics Management Law
Divert's breaks ground on anaerobic digestion facility driven by ... Waste Dive
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Dive Brief:
- Anaerobic digestion company Divert broke ground on a 60,000-square-foot facility in Longview, Washington, on Thursday, the company announced. When built, the facility will be able to process 100,000 tons of food waste per year from Washington and Oregon as well as producing renewable natural gas.
- Executives say it’s the first industrial project that’s gotten through the state’s environmental review process in southwest Washington in over a decade. The project accepts preconsumer waste and will help commercial generators comply with the state’s Organics Management Law that passed last year.
- Enbridge is partnering with Divert to finance the $100 million project, which they expect will open in 2024.
Dive Insight:
HB 1799, Washington’s Organics Management Law, requires municipalities to develop plans for source-separated organics collection and disposal starting in July of next year, with some exceptions. Businesses that generate at least eight cubic yards of organic waste each week would also be required to manage such waste on site or through collection services.
The Longview facility is located about 50 miles north Portland, Oregon, and is also expected to benefit from the Oregon Metro’s Food Scraps Policy, which requires businesses in the Portland metro area to separate food scraps.
Divert’s project will receive feedstock from large commercial food waste generators, including sources like agricultural food producers or industrial food manufacturers. In addition to anaerobic digestion, it will also contain depackaging and liquefaction technology.
Chris Thomas, vice president and head of public affairs for Divert, said he’s heard from a variety of stakeholders that such projects are difficult to get off the ground, as regulators want to ensure processing capacity for organics diversion while waste generators want to see the capacity already in place before they commit to a feedstock agreement. Thomas said Divert’s network of 5,400 retail stores with agreements in place has helped ease some of that friction.
“It’s a little bit of a chicken and egg approach,” Thomas said. “It’s difficult … to be sure that you can spend the millions and millions of dollars to develop, engineer and construct these new facilities without ensuring that you have customers in place.”
The facility, once complete, will also generate RNG. It received a boost from the clean energy tax credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act. In a statement, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said the project was “exactly what we had in mind” when drafting the federal incentive.
“This is a very bright spot for the whole State of Washington, to see this kind of economic development that creates jobs by taking a waste product and turning it into affordable energy,” Cantwell said.
Divert also provides analytics to the stores from which it receives organic waste. Thomas said that his company actively encourages its clients to become more efficient at reducing waste in addition to accepting what cannot be reused or saved.
This is Divert’s second RNG facility. Earlier this year, it broke ground on a facility in Turlock, California, which will have similar capacity and is also expected to open in 2024. In March, the company announced a $1 billion infrastructure development agreement from Enbridge, and Thomas said the agreement is helping speed up the company’s pipeline of projects.
The company’s two RNG facilities under construction are poised to take advantage of state laws like HB 1799 or California’s SB 1383 which have organics collection and diversion mandates. Thomas said those laws have far-reaching effects on changing consumers’ and businesses’ behavior when it comes to waste, and he’s heard interest from generators in states without tough laws that nevertheless would like to see greater organics processing capacity.
“Public policy that [regulators] are changing and advocating for, it has a far-reaching effect in some of these other states,” Thomas said. “We see that complying with these laws is not only the right thing to do from a sustainability and ESG perspective… but they also make money from it.”
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix | – |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | 12.3: Cut food waste in half per capita at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains | – |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning | – |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally | – |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 15: Life on Land
The issues highlighted in the article are connected to these SDGs because they involve the generation of renewable natural gas from food waste, which contributes to clean energy (SDG 7) and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12). Additionally, the project’s focus on reducing waste and utilizing organic materials aligns with climate action (SDG 13) and sustainable land management (SDG 15).
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- Target 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
- Target 12.3: Cut food waste in half per capita at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains
- Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
- Target 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
The article’s content suggests that the project aims to increase the share of renewable energy by producing renewable natural gas from food waste (Target 7.2). It also highlights the goal of reducing food waste and losses along the production and supply chains (Target 12.3). The project’s focus on utilizing organic waste aligns with integrating climate change measures into policies and planning (Target 13.2) and promoting sustainable land management (Target 15.2).
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
The article does not explicitly mention any indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. However, potential indicators could include:
- Percentage increase in renewable energy production from food waste
- Reduction in food waste per capita at the retail and consumer levels
- Reduction in food losses along production and supply chains
- Inclusion of climate change measures in national policies and strategies
- Expansion of sustainable land management practices
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy | 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix | – |
| SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | 12.3: Cut food waste in half per capita at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains | – |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning | – |
| SDG 15: Life on Land | 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally | – |
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: wastedive.com
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