CRRA 2023 Conference and Trade Show

Executive Director

Sales Manager

Mr. Gratz joined HZI in January of 2016 as Sales Manager for Hitachi Zosen Inova USA, responsible for all sales activities of HZI’s anaerobic digestion and biogas upgrading technologies.  He has been involved in the renewable gas/ biogas industries for over 12 years and brings over 30 years of experience in sales, business development, marketing and public relations. He is experienced in providing technical solutions for  sustainable organic waste management, in both public and private sectors. He has a proven track record of implementing advanced and sustainable technologies in North America.

SB 1383 Compliance with High Solids AD

The presentation is aimed at updating attendees on currently operating and near term developments of High Solids AD projects. The presentation will point out the challenges of developing high solids AD projects, particullarily in the State of CA and the US.  It will further provide current snapshot on existing systems and discuss some of the operational challenges asssociated with such projects, such as offtake management in compliance with SB 1383 as well as maintenance challenges.

Associate Civil Engineer

Kawsar Vazifdar is an Associate Civil Engineer working on municipal solid waste planning and policy development at Los Angeles County Public Works.  She manages Senate Bill 1383 planning, compliance, and reporting efforts for Los Angeles County. Ms. Vazifdar also leads the Southern California Conversion Technology Project, which facilitates the development of policy and infrastructure to create renewable energy from solid waste.  In addition, she oversees the Los Angeles County Commercial and Institutional Recycling Program, the Los Angeles County Recycling Market Development Zone, the Los Angeles County Reduction of Waste from Single-Use Articles and Expanded Polystyrene Products Ordinance, and more.  Ms. Vazifdar is a registered Professional Civil Engineer in California and earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from UCLA.

Closing the Gap: A Public-Private Approach to Infrastructure Development

Los Angeles County Public Works is leading regional infrastructure development efforts to help achieve the statewide California Senate Bill (SB) 1383 targets to reduce landfill disposal of organic waste and methane emissions.  Local jurisdictions continue to grapple with organic waste processing capacity shortfalls after the SB 1383 regulations have come into effect. A public-private approach can provide opportunities for jurisdictions to close the infrastructure gap. This model allows local jurisdictions to develop cost-competitive facilities while minimizing risk and customer rate increases.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (Board) adopted a motion directing Public Works to negotiate with a private developer to design, build, own, and operate an anaerobic digestion (AD) facility that will divert organic waste from landfills.  If the project is approved by the Board, Los Angeles County will lease a site to the developer for the construction and operation of the AD facility. Public Works is building upon these efforts by analyzing other locations in the County where this approach can be replicated to develop additional infrastructure.

This presentation will describe how the County developed this public-private approach to organic waste infrastructure projects. The presenter will provide information on site selection, the proposal solicitation process, grant funding, and stakeholder engagement. The presenter will share lessons learned to help other jurisdictions identify infrastructure development opportunities, navigate through the complexities of the development process, and create a sustainable waste management future.

Director

Tom Koutroulis is the Director of OC Waste & Recycling, began his career in the waste and recycling industry over 30 years ago in a family business. Prior to being appointed Director in 2017, he served as Senior Manager, Organics Project Development for Waste Management, Inc. Tom oversees the solid waste disposal systems serving Orange County’s residents and 34 cities, operating three active landfills, three new compost facilities, and four household hazardous waste collection centers. His vision for the agency to provide the highest benefit to the region by protecting public health and the environment through resource recovery. The agency is transitioning to address the lack of local infrastructure and creating a circular economy.

OCWR SB1383 Saga: Imagine What Can Be

The OCWR SB1383 Saga continues. From “Things are different now” to “Imagine what can be” The presentation of OC Waste & Recycling’s transformation and expansion of an essential public service to help address the impacts of SB1383 and augment the lack of local organics recycling infrastructure. Orange County, as the 3rd highest generator of waste and was once the largest user of PGM as ADC, is expanding its infrastructure from solely landfilling activities to resource recovery. A journey that started over 5 years to transform and expand to create local solutions for organics recycling and increase industry expertise. The presentation will share the beginnings, the challenges faced and met, the hurdles that were overcome, and future vision of the agency’s adventure to create a circular economy in organics.