Rural Alaska Solid/Sanitary Waste Disposal Alternative

Current handling of solid and sanitary wastes, in rural Alaska, is causing air pollution and groundwater contamination. Efforts to recycle have not broadened enough to effectively correct the situation. It is possible to implement the use of composting technology to decrease the amount of material flooding the waste stream and reduce pollutants. Each small town may not have the resources to purchase the equipment necessary to successfully compost. Towns along the Alaska highways are the target for application of this solution to waste disposal. The highway offers a way to transport equipment for use by all the communities. Our objective is to determine if there is enough organic materials, in the correct proportions, to use composting as an alternative waste management system. We will list which communities in Alaska are accessible along the highways. Data collected from government and private sector reports, as well as community surveys, will be compiled. Our assessment of the data will indicate which communities are possible candidates for this alternative method. It also will indicate if it is economically feasible and whether there is sufficient community interest to insure success.