Turning household trash into treasure
|
It was during this unveiling that owner and company president Floyd Bouldin announced the formation of WastAway Services, a subsidiary company of Bouldin and Lawson, and the revolutionary waste handling process the new company will conduct.
Simply put, the process turns ordinary household garbage into a bacteria-free composite cellulose material called “fluff.” Completed in a three-stage process, garbage is first “prepared,” or put through an intense grinder and shredder system which removes any metal items such as tin cans.
Next, the garbage is put through “hydrolyzation,” a process which is described as acting like a pressure cooker and which, through pressure and heat, kills all germs and pathogens. Finally, the resulting fluff is dried.
In a following process, the fluff can then be further transformed into wood-like or plastic-like materials which WastAway officials say could have unlimited uses.
“The finished product is hard, dense and stable – very similar to oak,” said vice president of sales Wade Sparkman. Shown Monday were a couple of 2×4 oak-like boards made from the product, which officials said could easily be used to build a home.
Bouldin said the push to this new, eco-friendly technology was a logical step for his company, which produces greenhouse and nursery automation products.
“It seemed to be the next step,” Bouldin said. “We manufacture horticultural equipment and over time we’ve made promising discoveries in developing waste and composting systems as technology has evolved.”
Although the original idea came about seven years ago, implementation didn’t become serious until two years ago. The local firm’s research and development of the project received a major boon 18 months ago when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers became interested and began funding a large portion of the research. Bouldin said the corps is interested in using the technology to dispose of the large amounts of solid wastes produced by military bases across the country.
The results of this resulting technology stand to benefit military and civilian populations alike. The ability to transform garbage into a cellulose composite material which can be re-used means all garbage processed will not end up in landfills, thus benefiting the environment.
But this process could also benefit local governments like Warren County, which has to spend taxpayer dollars to transport and dispose of the county’s garbage in a Rutherford County landfill. The county currently pays $26 per ton to dispose of its garbage, not including transportation costs.
WastAway, which must charge $60 per ton to make a profit, admits it can’t compete with landfills at this time.
“What we’re offering local governments right now is a legally acceptable alternative to their required recycling program,” said Bouldin.
By state law, every municipality must divert 25 percent of its waste from landfills. In five years, that number is set to jump to 50 percent. As sorting recyclable materials can require special equipment and extra man hours, it becomes much more expensive than just dumping trash in a landfill. Bouldin said the cheapest rate he’s seen for this is $120 a ton.
County Executive Carol Hamblen said Monday she is very excited about the possibilities of the new process and hopes the county might one day be able to take advantage of it. “I’d really like for Warren County to be the first to take advantage of it, with other counties following our lead,” Hamblen said. “This can be a winning solution for both local industry and government.”
For now, WastAway does not have any customers save its benefactor, the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Company officials are confident they will receive a contract to dispose of trash at military bases. The company will also be submitting a proposal to local government leaders in the near future to provide an alternative to the county’s recycling program.
Before the end of the year, an additional company will be formed under the Bouldin umbrella which will focus on turning the fluff produced by the new process into useable products. Bouldin projects in the next 36 months the two new companies will combine to produce several hundred jobs in plants in Warren County and across Middle Tennessee.
“We’re thinking big and are very excited about the possibilities,” he said.
Breaking barriers
• WastAway’s new process allows traditional garbage to be transformed into wood-like or plastic-like materials.
• Floyd Bouldin estimates the new process will create hundreds of new Midstate jobs.