Central Vermont Recovered Biomass Facility
The Central Vermont Recovered Biomass Facility is currently a partnership project of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and Vermont Technical College supported with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy'sEERE Biomass Program obtained with the support of Senator Patrick Leahy [U.S. DOE Award Number DE-FG36-08GO88079]. The facility will be located on Vermont Tech’s Randolph Center campus adjacent to the central heating plant.
The Unique Nature of Food Scrap Collection
An anearobic digester, the facility will be capable of digesting a variety of mixed substrates and it is anticipated that it will be powered by a daily mixture of dairy manure and clean food scraps, and baled grass as appropriate. It will generate electricity for sale to Central Vermont Public Service, and waste heat will be distributed through the campus's central heating plant. The project partners have conducted feasibility studies that demosntrated that the project is technically and economically feasible and is now entering an implementation phase, the first step of which is to solicit proposals from parties interested in securing a long-term contact for delivery of clean food scraps.
CSP Issues Food Scrap RFP
Funding for the project is in hand and this RFP will determine our ability to build this new, renewable energy facility. We encourage a wide variety of entities to respond to the RFP posted here and will accept proposals from single entities or from teams or consortiums.
The RFP for clean food scrap collection and delivery provides a biochemical analysis of the type of material we are seeking as feedstock for our anaerobic digester. This material is provided for your information and RFP provides some insight into which test results are most critical when looking for good feedstock. Testing is simple and straightforward and can be done by Endyne Inc. of Vermont. While responses to the RFP do not have to include biochemical analysis, the successful respondent will work with Vermont Tech over the next two years to be sure that their food scrap feedstock meets these standards.
Members of the Vermont Tech bio-digester project team will meet with those interested in responding to this RFP on August 4 and questions may be submitted prior to the proposal due date and a process for responding and issuing responses publicly is detailed in the RFP.
It is important that interested proposers understand that due to time constraints on this project, THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THIS RFP WILL BE ISSUED. We urge all interested parties to respond now!
click here to download a copy of the Food Scrap RFP and an accompanying Intro to the RFP
Other information that may assist prospective responders is listed after the RFP documents and in the sections that follow.
Data on Food Scrap estimates by community and throughout the State of Vermont for commercial generators have been compiled by Stone Environmental as part of the feasibility phase of this project. Those estimates may be obtained by clicking on the following link. Food Scrap Data by TownFood Scrap Data by Town
Early Adopters
Two Vermont organizations have been early-adopters and innovators in the field of food scrap collection - the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District and the Highfields Center for Composting. They have worked with a variety of partners to test collection methodologies designed to generate a nearly contaminant-free source of separated food scraps that contain less than 5% contamination from paper, metal, PLU stickers, and other non-organic materials. Because of their success in achieving a clean stream of food scraps, collected on a regular basis from restaurants, cafeterias and grocers, Vermont Tech knows that the collection of the material needed for the Central Vermont Recovered Biomass Facilitiy is possible.
To help prospective respondents to the soon-to-be-released RFP understand what comprises a successful collection program of this nature, publicly available materials from these Vermont programs and suggested resources are provided below. They are not to be considered a description of a required collection methodology, but they do offer insight into the unique attributes of a Vermont-based collection program that has the ability to result in a safe, dependable, clean source of food scraps from commercial and institutional generators.
Prospective respondents may also find useful information on YouTube, where videos supporting food scrap diversion in Vermont may be posted by those involved in the existing Vermont programs. Some search terms that you may wish to use include: food scraps, compost awareness, school composting in vermont, or vermont composting.
Additional information on organics diversion efforts in Vermont may be found on the following websites: Compost Association of Vermont, the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District, Grow Compost, Highfields Center for Composting, Intervale Compost, Vermont Compost Company, and Vermont Natural Ag Products.