Athens Services has owned and operated the American Organics composting facility since 2009. Today, American Organics is renowned as one of Southern California’s highest-tech composting facilities with state-of-the-art methods for organics waste recycling.
Athens Services provides composting through our state-of-the-art facility, American Organics. We process many types of organics materials, including food waste. Currently, we provide food waste collection and composting for municipalities and food service establishments throughout Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. American Organics can create compost blends suitable for industrial, agricultural, municipal, residential or commercial use.
The scale house is the first place organic waste trucks go to at the facility. Underground digital scales measure the weight of each truck and then measure the load. Each scale is equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which communicates and records the load weight.
The scale house is the first place organic waste trucks go to at the facility. Underground digital scales measure the weight of each truck and then measure the load. Each scale is equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which communicates and records the load weight.
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The truck then drives to the processing building and offloads organic waste onto the tipping floor. The building is part of Athens Services’ recent renovation to the facility. The building helps prevent debris and odors from infiltrating nearby rivers and neighbors.
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Workers and equipment remove large objects or contamination on the tipping floor before the organic waste goes onto the sorting belt.
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Organic waste is then sorted by size using an innovative auger screen. American Organics is the first facility to use this technology, letting items three inches or smaller fall through a conveyer belt to outside the processing building. Anything larger than three inches continues to the processing line to get further sorted.
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On the processing line, contamination is further removed from the organics waste. Workers remove non-organic materials such as plastic and textiles. They also remove palm fronds and cacti that can jam equipment.
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A powerful magnet removes metals from the line and places them into a separate bin to be recycled.
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The sorted organic waste material that is larger than three inches ends up in a grinder to be ground down to a smaller size and then put into the stockpile.
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The organic waste is transferred outside the processing building. There, the material is piled in windrows on a concrete slab. Then it is soaked with recycled water until it reaches a moisture level of 60%.
Powerful blowers pump air through aerated pipes in the slab to force air into the material, speeding up the composting process. The covered aerated static piles (CASP) maintain 131 + degrees Fahrenheit for 72 hours to eliminate any pathogens.
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A SCARAB compost turner machine mixes material in the windrows several more times. The material cures for 30 days.
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In the final stages of processing, screens sort out any remaining contaminants from the material.
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Material is placed in piles to be cured before shipping to customers and communities.
Combining innovative processes and groundbreaking technology, American Organics cuts total composting processing time from six months to two months. That enables the facility to keep up with increasing demand due to new laws directing organic waste away from landfills to be recycled. This approach also reduces waste, cuts greenhouse gases, and helps parks, farms, and gardens stay healthier.
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Combining innovation and safety culture, these facilities have been able to help communities remain in compliance with state mandates, while fostering a safer and healthier environment. Athens Services has invested millions of dollars into its recycling and organics infrastructure to support a more sustainable environment and help cities meet their zero-waste goals.
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