Nation’s First Carbon Offset Project for Composting Listed

CMRA member Zanker Road Resource Management, one of the nation’s leading recycling and composting firms, has listed the first composting greenhouse gas (GHG) offset project, “Z‐Best Food Waste Composting,” with the Climate Action Reserve.

This is a landmark event for composters across the nation who will have the ability to sell carbon credits (CRTs) which create economic incentives and cost effective development of processing infrastructure as more and more food waste is collected from residents and businesses. The City of San Jose provides the majority of the organic waste that is processed through Zanker’s facility. “This project is a reflection of the leadership and innovation we see in the area, and helps to meet San Jose’s Green Vision goals of zero waste to landfills, reduction of GHG and green job creation,” said John Stufflebean, director of the City’s Environmental Services Department

The Climate Action Reserve is North America’s largest and most respected carbon offset registry. As the premier carbon offset registry in North America.     It works to ensure environmental benefit, integrity and transparency in the carbon market. The project must adhere to the Reserve’s rigorous standards to earn compliance‐ grade offset credits which merit the highest financial value and denote true environmental benefits.

Z-Best composts about 283,000 tons of organic waste per year at its Z‐Best Compost Facility in Gilroy, Calif. CRTs can only be earned for new practices such as food waste diversion, so about 20% of its collected tonnage is expected to be eligible to earn CRTs, which each represent 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. The enclosed compost technology that Z-Best uses for food waste involves blowing air through long, thermoplastics bags filled with organic waste. This serves to minimize emissions and odors that would be generated from an open composting system.

In related news, Zanker Road Resource Management has received Climate Registered status for reducing its GHG emissions over a three-year period according to the Climate Registry’s rigorous voluntary reporting program criteria.

The Climate Registry is a non-profit organization that operates the only carbon footprint registry in North America. Zanker completed reporting and verification for a three-year period spanning from 2007 to 2009. Over that time period, Zanker decreased GHG emissions by 29%, mostly by decreasing fuel consumption at both Zanker Materials Processing Facility and Zanker Landfill.

Zanker management is committed to reducing GHG emissions further than 29%. Almost all of its large stationary equipment is now electric, which provides reductions in both GHG and air quality emissions. By continuing to voluntarily report reductions in GHG emissions to the Climate Registry, Zanker will stay ahead of anticipated impact from new federal and state regulations.

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