One man’s garbage is another man’s gold

As much as I personally enjoy Ruth Tighe’s insights on a broad range of subjects, particularly her thoughts of Sunday Jan 15, 2006 on a new solid waste system being considered by Governor Fitial, and the reference to Puerto Rico Dump and the Marpi Landfill, I would like to point out the specific benefits on both counts.

Puerto Rico Dump—because the CNMI violated the Federal Clean Water Act, in September of 2004 an “EPA Administrative Order In Consent” was signed based on the “Beneficial Reuse Report For Targeted Brownfield Assessment.” Prior to the order, several options were presented to then Gov. Juan N. Babauta. He chose closure of Puerto Rico—in absence of any other viable alternative existing at the time.

The key word here is, alternative. Subsequently a $16-million CIP was granted for Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, in which a sizable amount of that CIP grant would go to that closure of that dump. This equates to covering that eyesore with a tarp, nursing over it for 30 years, all the while hoping it doesn’t leach and poison the lagoon as it has been doing for over 20 years.

It has been said, if just one of our tourists would come down with some kind of cancer or skin lesion or birth defect of an embryo, even if unprovable our waters did it, and even in the wake of the continuing “red-flagged beach reports” by DEQ, bye-bye to all of them.

Something none of us wants to see happen. In that respect, Palingenesis Manufacturing Inc. out of Tunasan, Metro Manila, is that alternative.

In four years, they perfected a new-tech method, which can take our municipal and hazardous waste (oils and chemicals formerly being incinerated), and convert that into salable building materials and enriched fertilizer.

Can anyone imagine the immense benefits of taking down the dump? And a plant on-site, which can convert the “junk” into salable goods, thereafter utilizing that once unusable piece of property into something useful? Of the aforementioned CIP funds slated for its mere closure, it’s like throwing good money after bad. Perhaps those in authority should seriously consider diverting the CIP funds already appropriated for Puerto Rico into something beneficial to all of us.

This dump is already “broken” and seriously needs “fixin'”.

Marpi Landfill—according to the Palingenesis principals that were here over the governor’s inaugural weekend, it’s the best-run landfill they’ve ever seen—in the world, without question. However, with the Palingenesis system, more can be gotten out of less. Let me explain.

One-hundred-and-twenty metric tons are deposited daily. Because of the rapid overfilling, the on-site management is thinking of expanding the present capacity to four more cells at a cost of approximately $10 million. With that in mind, consider these estimates: with a density of 330 kilos (overall) per cubic meters equals 364 cubic meters in volume. That’s the amount of space being taken up in the landfill, daily. Assuming 50 percent is non-biodegradable, 50 percent is biodegradable, or 250 kilos per cubic metres non-biodegradable and 500 kilos organic. (These figures should be confirmed by city engineers, but for the present, sufficient for the equation).

Let’s take half of that, or 60 metric tons and look at the 500 kilos of organic waste equals 120cm (some loss of volume due to drying). If we treat that and place back in the landfill, after six months it will decompose (like compost) which can then be sold or given away. That’s 500 kilos gone.

Now the non-biodegradable 250 kilos equal 240cm. An installed plant on-site can make salable products and instantly we save 240cm of space. (If we only shred and treat and place back in the hole, we reduce the landfill volume by two-thirds). Here’s the good part. If we consider alone the product potential from that 60 metric tons of non-biodegradable, we can make 8,000 hollow blocks (or anything else). If we sell at 50 cents each, that’s $4,000 per day income, or $1.46 million annually (less the cost of running the machine).

Palingenesis’ system can prolong the life of the landfill, indefinitely, making it moot for them to ask for additional funds for the unnecessary expansion, monies which can be wisely used, elsewhere in the community—while making money from the inevitable, other people’s garbage.

Holani Smith
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