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Witnesses say New Jersey needs more composting and anaerobic‑digestion capacity; cite regulatory barriers and large projects under construction
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Summary
Speakers at the joint hearing urged easing permitting for composting (removing an enclosure requirement), expanding anaerobic digestion (AD) and using wastewater plants to co‑digest food waste. They highlighted Trenton Renewables, an under‑construction Linden AD plant (1,540 tpd) and the need for tiered DEP rules for small‑scale composting.
At a joint Senate and Assembly environment committee hearing, multiple witnesses described an urgent need for processing capacity for source‑separated food waste and urged changes to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rules that they say limit development of composting facilities.
Christina Pio Castro of Vivari Ecologics said current recycling rules require class‑C composting facilities to operate in an enclosed structure and argued that requirement "destroys the economics of compost facilities" and is inconsistent with national practice. She said her company’s attempt to secure county plan inclusion was denied in part because of permitting uncertainty.
Matt Wasserman of the New Jersey Composting Council noted data showing food in municipal garbage has not declined and that available landfill capacity is shrinking. "If we actually look at the amount of food waste going to landfill over the last five years ... the number has actually gone up," he said, and urged DEP to allow tiered, lower‑barrier approaches for community and school composting.
Speakers described existing AD and co‑digestion examples. Brian Blair, general manager of Trenton Renewables (Trenton Biogas), said his facility is designed to produce roughly 27,000 megawatt‑hours per year and employs about 35 people. Gary Sondermayer (ANJAR) and others described a large AD project under construction in Linden (project capacity cited at 1,540 tons per day) by South Jersey Industries and RNG Energy and a proposed 500‑tpd Bioenergy DevCo facility in Mantua Township—projects they said will substantially increase state capacity in 12–24 months.
Witnesses recommended several regulatory and program changes: a DEP rulemaking or tiered regulatory system to exempt or simplify permits for community gardens, schools, and small composters; removing or amending the enclosure requirement for class‑C facilities; expanding statutory radius limits for food transport from 25 miles to 50 miles; and integrating food waste with wastewater treatment digesters where feasible.
Why it matters: multiple witnesses said more in‑state processing will reduce landfill methane emissions, create local jobs, and reduce municipal disposal costs. They warned that regulatory barriers are blocking small‑scale and community solutions even as large AD projects proceed.
