Mobile digester turns green waste into fertilizer

2021

The prolonged growing season of South Florida results in a large quantity of green waste at Broken Sound. With limited space available it was necessary to send all green waste to landfill in dumpsters at a cost of approx $70,000 annually.

Following planning and testing to determine the proper ratio of chipped green and food waste from the clubhouse kitchen, a mobile digester was set up at the maintenance facility. The project now involves fairway, rough and landscape topdressing programs. The compost is cured and milled to produce a consistent ¼-inch particle size for uniform topdressing application.

The operation at Broken Sound produces seven to nine cubic yards of compost a day - enough for ¼-inch application on the fairways and roughs of both courses annually. The savings from this process are twofold - reducing the cost of waste disposal, and a saving of $12,000 on fertilizer expenditure in year one. The initial investment, whilst significant, will be recouped within 4-5 years.