MEDIA ADVISORY: EPA and City of San Jos_ tour composting and biogas facility turning food waste into renewable energy
Release Date: 11/21/2014 Contact Information: Suzanne Skadowski, U.S. EPA, 415-972-3165, skadowski.suzanne@epa.gov, Jennie Loft, City of San José, 408-535-8554, Jennie.loft@sanjoseca.gov
SAN FRANCISCO – On Tuesday, November 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator and City of San José officials will tour the city’s Zero Waste Energy Development anaerobic digestion facility where food scraps are turned into renewable energy and compost for local farms. The facility’s state-of-the-art dry anaerobic digesters use bacteria to break down food waste in an oxygen-free environment, converting it into methane biogas to generate electricity. The facility can digest and compost 90,000 tons of food waste and produce 1.6 megawatts per year. San José aims to achieve zero waste by 2022 and diverts 74 percent of materials from landfills through reuse, recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion.
WHO: EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld San José Mayor Chuck Reed San José Councilmember Xavier Campos San José Environmental Services Department Director Kerrie Romanow Zero Waste Energy Development Representatives
WHEN: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 (1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Note: arrive early to receive safety gear; change of clothing recommended due to organics odor
WHERE: 685 Los Esteros Rd., San José, Calif.
WHAT: Tour Zero Waste Energy Development anaerobic digestion facility
VISUALS: Large hall housing 16 digesters where all of the organics are moved; engines where energy is generated from organics; pipe room where methane biogas from organics is piped to energy equipment; deodorizing equipment and compost
MEDIA KIT: http://www.epa.gov/region9/mediacenter/ad-sanjose/
RSVP REQUIRED: Credentialed press who would like to attend should email to Jennie.loft@sanjoseca.gov to RSVP with your name, cell or email info, and media affiliation by 4 p.m., Monday, November 24.
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About U.S. EPA The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Region 9 administers and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 tribal nations -- home to more than 48 million people. It is a diverse, beautiful and productive part of the nation, from the lush rainforests of Hawaii and the agricultural oasis of the Central Valley to the thrumming economies of the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Nearly 50 million people make their homes and livelihoods across EPA Region 9’s 386,000 square mile-jurisdiction, producing more than $2 trillion in goods and services each year. Over the past four decades, EPA Region 9 has spent billions of dollars and millions of staff hours to maintain and safeguard our most precious resources: the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we treasure. Great progress has been made to reduce smog, improve water quality, clean up hazardous waste and create sustainable, healthy communities, much work remains to achieve EPA’s goals of protecting our environment and ensuring public health. Follow Us: Facebook: EPAregion9 Twitter: @EPAregion9 Newsletter: www.epa.gov/region9/newsletterAbout San José Environmental Services Department and San José Green Vision San José, Capital of Silicon Valley, is the largest city in Northern California and the 10th largest city in the nation. The San José Environmental Services Department (www.sjenvironment.org) is responsible for the management of solid waste collection and recycling; watershed protection and pollution prevention; municipal drinking water and recycled water; community sustainability initiatives, and the operation and infrastructure improvements of the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility. ESD's mission is to deliver world class utility services and programs to improve our health, environment, and economy. In collaboration with other City departments and community and business partners, ESD creates innovative projects and initiatives that align with San José Green Vision, a long-term comprehensive plan to lead our community into a sustainable future. The Green Vision (www.sjenvironment/greenvision) includes bold goals for clean-tech jobs, reduced energy use, renewable energy, green buildings, waste reduction, water reuse, sustainable development, a clean fleet, more trees, zero emission streetlights, and interconnected trails. Follow Us: Facebook: SJEnvironment Twitter: @SJEnvironment Instagram: @SJEnvironment Notifications: Receive our news, events, and announcements at Notify Me (www.sanjoseca.gov/list.aspx); select keyword Environment and choose from the topics list.
About Zero Waste Energy Development Company LLC Zero Waste Energy Development Company LLC is a joint venture between GreenWaste Recovery and Zanker Road Resource Management and was formed to develop and operate the first dry fermentation anaerobic digestion facility in the United States. Zero Waste is designing and permitting a 270,000 tons per year Dry Fermentation Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Facility in San José that will be developed in three (3) phases; each phase will be capable of processing 90,000 tons per year of organic materials. The facility will process and recover energy from source separated food waste and the organic fraction remaining after materials including Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) are processed at GreenWaste's Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and create two products: biogas containing methane and compost. To learn more about ZWEDC visit www.zwedc.com
