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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1977
MR. WALLACE SAID ONE OF THE BIG ADVANTAGES OF THE COMPOSTING PROCESS WHICH BASICALLY INVOLVES THE BREAKING DOWN OF SOL ID WASTES INTO HYGIENICALLY SAFE, INERT AND INOFFENSIVE MATERIALS WAS THAT IT DID NOT CAUSE ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION.
+ANOTHER ADVANTAGE IS THAT THE SOLID WASTE IS REDUCED TO ABOUT ONE-FOURTH ITS ORIGINAL VOLUME, WHICH MAKES TRANSPORTATION TO MAINLAND FILL AREAS THAT MUCH EASTER, HE SAID.
THE NEW PLANT WAS DESIGNED TO ACCEPT DOMESTIC, INDUSTRIAL
AND COMMERCIAL SOLID WASTE, INCLUDING BULKY REFUSE.
ILLUSTRATING THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF THE NEW PLANT, MR. WALLACE SAID IT WOULD HAVE TWO GIANT REFUSE PULVERISERS EACH WEIGHING ABOUT 70 TONNES AND DRIVEN BY 800 HP ELECTRIC MOTORS TO REDUCE THE MATERIAL TO A PRODUCT SUITABLE FOR COMPOSTING.
ATTENTION WAS ALSO BEING PAID TO SOUND PROOFING THE BUILDING
TO REDUCE SURROUNDING NOISE LEVELS, HE SAID.
AFTER PULVERISING, SCREENING AND FERROUS SEPARATION, THE MATERIAL WOULD BE CONVEYED TO FOUR TOTALLY ENCLOSED DIGESTION CHAMBERS' SOME 10 METRES IN DIAMETER AND 15 METRES HIGH, EACH WEIGHING 200 TONNES.
THE MATERIAL WILL REMAIN IN THE CHAMBERS FOR ABOUT THREE DAYS UNDERGOING DISTURBANCE AND AERATION UNDER CLOSELY CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE CONDITIONS, FINALLY PRODUCING AN INERT AND HYGIENICALLY SAFE MATERIAL.
GLASS, PLASTICS AND CERAMICS WILL ALSO BE SEPARATED AND THESE REJECTS RENDERED INERT BY THEIR PASSAGE THROUGH THE PROCESS.
MR. WALLACE SAID THAT GASES RELEASED DURING THE DIGESTION PROCESS WOULD BE DIRECTED THROUGH UNDERGROUND EARTH FILTERS BEFORE BEING DISCHARGED.
HE SAID THE COMPOST PRODUCED WOULD BASICALLY BE DISPOSED OF AS LAND FILL BUT SOME MIGHT BE USED AS TOP SOIL FOR RESTORING BORROWED AREAS AND QUARRIES AND FOR TURFING.
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