Success Stories: Department of Corrections: Initiating Responsibility for Waste
The Departments of Corrections is the second largest Washington State agency with 8,000 employees who are responsible for housing, clothing, and feeding 16,000 offenders. At the rate of 2.75 pounds of wet food waste per inmate per day, DOC was spending $642,000 a year to dispose of 8,030 tons of food scraps created every year. This is changing however as DOC is successfully implementing 3 closed-waste-systems. A model compost facility created at the Olympic Corrections Center (OCC) saved $170,000 in 2002-03 and diverted 1,365 tons of reusable waste from going to the landfill. Clallam Bay Corrections Center sends their food and shredded paper waste to the OCC facility to help create 850 cubic yards of natural soil amendment. This good stewardship effort has been well received by the local community.
As a joint venture between DOC, the City of Walla Walla, and Walla Walla County, a regional public compost facility opened in April 2004. The facility will be able to handle 5,000 tons of yard waste and 170 tons of dry food waste per year. The finished compost is sold to the Department of Transportation. Finally, the Larch Corrections Center compost facility is almost complete and is expected to save $24,000 a year and reduce its' waste to the landfill by two thirds.
DOC has substantially reduced lawn watering by 15% annually with conservation methods such as letting it go naturally in the summer. WCC is also reusing treated wastewater for wash-down at a treatment plant. Cedar Creek Corrections Center is capturing rainwater for irrigation and the Washington Corrections Center for Women reduced their overall water consumption by 10%. "People have gone from complaining about not being able to use the water, to complaining about people using too much water" says George Campbell, Water Manager WCC.
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