Shasta-Trinity National Forest (STNF) Green TeamCity of Redding (COR) Transfer Station Recycling Center Tour

October 12, 2011

General information about the transfer station:

The COR transfer station processes about 500 tons of garbage each day and was designed to operate at 750 tons per day to allow for growth. The facility also accepts and processes Household Hazardous Waste and E-waste.Recyclable materials are processed at the onsite Material Recovery Facility (MRF) where approximately 31 tons of recyclables are processed daily. The MRF recycles newspaper, aluminum, office paper, cardboard, PET and HDPE plastic beverage containers, glass bottles and jars, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, and tin cans. Bicycles in good condition are donated to Shasta County for reuse and distribution to the underprivileged. The sale of recyclable materials supports approximately one quarter of the facility operation costs.The COR contracts with the local Opportunity Center which provides jobs and skills for developmentally disabled adults. These employees are an invaluable asset to the facility, responsible for sorting and processing the recyclable materials.The transfer station includes a 4.5-acre compost facility which processes approximately 18,000 tons of green waste material each year. Processed compost is sold to the public.Long-range expansion of the facility includes construction of a new warehouse that will house a thrift store where items with value salvaged from the garbage will be sold. The proceeds will help to support facility operation costs.

In attendance (left to right): Stephanie Pickern, Green Team Chair; Mark Goldsmith, Westside Zone Wildlife Biologist/Team Member; Christina Pyles, COR Public Works Supervisor; Kathy Roche, STNF Entomologist/Team Member; Lana Cruz, Westside information assistant/Team member.

John Deere loader for moving waste in the general garbage disposal area. Solid rubber tires cannot be punctured and weigh over four thousand pounds each.

General garbage drop-off area.

Plastics already baled and ready for export to China. Each bale weighs one and one-half tons.

Mark Goldsmith stands in front of processed shredded and plain copier paper.

Loading the hopper with recyclables for sorting.

Recyclables being conveyed to upper sorting area.

Upper sorting area where Opportunity Center employees separate plastics, glass, garbage, paper and cardboard from the mix.

The recycling operation is a complex system of conveyors and sorting systems.

Final stop for the team inside the processing facility.

Rows of composting organic material derived from yard waste. The ‘Ag Bags” cost $1,400.00 each, are made of a vinyl composite, and can only be used one time. The temperature inside the bags is maintained at 140 degrees (F) to sterilize the soil and kill seeds.

Fresh air circulating through the Ag Bags is essential for successful for decomposition. This pump injects and circulates air through the full length of the row.

At this stage, the compost material is ground before it is placed in the Ag Bags. Once bagged, it can be processed into a finished compost product in as little as four months.

This machine, called the “scarab,” drives down the extensive windrows and turns the compost so it will it dry properly. At the end of the composting cycle, the compost is sold to the public. Any leftover compost and larger pieces of chipped lumber or pallets goes to the cogeneration plant in Burney and is processed to produce electricity.