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contamination by weight is mixed solid waste. After the initial inspection, any remaining, <br />smaller material is picked out by hand. For these incidental materials such as metal, plastic or <br />tucks, or treated wood, the materials separated and placed in a covered roll -off container or <br />similar containers. Any non-compostable material will be separated into labeled roll off <br />containers or dumpsters differentiated between and labeled as regular trash, treated wood <br />waste, other recyclables (plastic, metal, etc) and hazardous waste. This material will be taken <br />to the Forward Landfill in San Joaquin County on a weekly basis, or more often if required. <br />If pre-processed material (i.e., ground) is delivered to the facility, it will be directly off-loaded to <br />a designated location and placed into windrows for processing within 72 hours. <br />Unloading and Grinding <br />After the initial receiving process, the trucks are directed to the off-loading area and divided by <br />size and type of material. Any loads containing food scraps are immediately covered by green <br />material, or other high carbon material such as overs, wood chips or curing compost, to remove <br />the possibility of odor, vectors or birds, before incorporation into the composting process. <br />Grinding will occur to the west of a 14 foot berm/wall located in this area for noise <br />management purposes. The material is then immediately ground, processed and formed into <br />rows for composting. No material will remain in this staging area for more than 72hours, and is <br />usually ground and incorporated within the same day. <br />Composting <br />The facility uses a thermophillic, aerated windrow composting process. This process allows <br />materials to be blended to provide aeration and proper moisture content. The materials form <br />windrows which will be approximately 7 feet high, 18 feet wide and 250-450 feet long. <br />Windrow composting is efficient; it produces high quality product with relatively low <br />technological input, and achieves high temperatures insuring that pathogen reduction, seed <br />inactivation, vector attraction reduction, and odor control are accomplished. Once the <br />thermophillic environment is established, the process is maintained by monitoring the <br />temperature, moisture, and oxygen in the windrows. <br />The moisture and temperature monitoring program are developed and maintained by the <br />turning and water schedule of the windrows. This process is key to creating and maintaining <br />the aerobic thermophillic environment essential for microbial respiration requiring high <br />temperatures in the presence of oxygen. It is important in that the micro-organisms that thrive <br />at these temperatures contribute to the composting process <br />Compost pile internal temperatures are monitored by readings taken with a long stemmed <br />windrow thermometer at various depths along the formed windrows. The readings will begin <br />two days after the formation of a new windrow. Initially, they are made daily and taken at a <br />minimum of 100 feet along the windrow at various depths. Once the minimum windrow <br />temperature reaches 131 degrees F, the five turnings during the required 15 day period are <br />taken to complete pathogen reduction requirements. Once requirements are met, daily <br />temperature monitoring is conducted. The watering regimen, also dictated by the air district, <br />4 <br />