Anaerobic digester facility coming to Yaphank
Yaphank-based American Organic Energy will hold a groundbreaking for its anaerobic digester facility on April 20 at 11 a.m.
At this facility, Long Island’s food waste will be collected, separated, pre-processed, broken down, and ultimately transformed into convertible energy, vehicle fuel, fertilizer, and nutrient-rich water.
“This project is a culmination of years of collaborative efforts on the part of the local community, environmental advocates, government officials, and private industry,” Charles Vigliotti, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “It represents the best of what public/private cooperation looks like and will put Long Island center stage in designing a sustainable future.”
Vigliotti has long worked in Long Island’s green economy, having also co-founded Long Island Compost. AOE has partnered with energy and engineering firms with the aim to “significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing both the number of diesel transport vehicles and the volume of organic waste currently disposed of in landfills,” according to a press release about the groundbreaking.
When it is fully operating, the facility is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 40,000 tons annually, produce 2.0 MW of electricity and approximately 1.9 million diesel gallons equivalent of compressed natural gas,” according to the press release.
The new facility would “change the way we manage food waste on Long Island,” Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said in a statement.
She said that New York “generates more than 4 million tons of food waste” each year. And transforming food scraps into “a resource and not a waste product is good for the environment and our wallets.”
And, she pointed out, with the Brookhaven Landfill expected to close in two years, “there is no plan for waste disposal on Long Island after 2024,” she said.
AOE aims to accept about 180,000 tons of food waste per year, sparing the need for transporting that waste, which would be dumped into distant landfills.
“This project will reduce waste going to landfills, reduce trucking waste off Long Island, and demonstrates that organics are a valuable, recyclable product,” Esposito said.
According to Vigliotti, the facility has received long-standing support from the town, county, and state officials.