Blog

The new look of our spreaders, look for us on the roads of New England. Available for rent so give us a call at 603-536-8900 to schedule yours today!

After almost four decades the Rensselaer Country Sewer District (RCSD) wasterwater treatment plant (WWTP) was interested in upgrading its biosolids process system. RCSD conducted a biosolids alternative analysis, and selected a method that had the lowest lifecycle cost but also generated a beneficially useful biosolid product.

With the new process underway RCSD developed a marketing plan to help identify outlets for the dried product. Hoping for a “turn-key” partnership, in which the partner would take responsibility for the dried products from the loading facility to outlets, that is where RMI comes in!

Read the following article to learn more about RCSD and the partnership with RMI:

Rensselaer County Sewer District’s Biosolids System Upgrade Project

RMI is expanding its recognized and established residuals program into New York State. Partnering with farmers, growers, municipalities and industry, RMI will provide turnkey residual management services. RMI New York personnel will provide experience in all phases of management including compliance, quality assurance and control, permitting, regulatory assistance, transportation, and end-uses.

Jamie Oliverez will spearhead the NY Region as its manager. Jamie comes to RMI with an extensive residuals management background. He formerly worked for the state of Washington as their biosolids regulator, overseeing all biosolids activities in the state.

Heart & Soil products immediately available in NY include wood ash and biosolids. Wood ash is a fast acting liming agent that also contains potassium and other essential micronutrients. Biosolids are high in organic matter and provide a slow release source of nutrients that can be utilized by plants for several years following the application.

Please contact Jamie Oliverez for more information at (518) 339-6294.

Dave Smith, who has worked with RMI since 2006, is the owner of Otter River Farm, LLC in Winchendon Massachusetts. Dave milks about 200 cows onsite to create his award-winning cheeses, but his farm footprint is very small. With no cropland, Dave composts all of his manure in two recently-constructed buildings spanning 30,000 square feet. “Using non-separated manure, it is essential to make sure no additional moisture is added, so we keep the entire operation undercover” Dave stated. Dave uses RMI products FiberDry and EcoBoost in his aerated static compost piles to aid in the composting process. “I use FiberDry for a dependable carbon source. The EcoBoost, helps me control odors and add some porosity” Dave explained. Dave retails his compost under the name Otter River Black Gold, which is available in retail bags and also in bulk at his farm stand.

RMI is pleased to be part of the recipe that has made Black Gold Compost a success story!

It was a wet spring this year in Morrisville, Vermont. Heavy rains left standing water in the fields into late May, and there was very little sun in June. When faced with a shortened growing season, soil health is paramount. Wood ash customer, Gary Greaves was able to grow a healthy stand of

corn. Gary’s 95 day-to-maturity corn stood over 6 feet tall at the end of this summer, while other stands in the area were extremely varied. Gary grows mainly corn silage on 92 acres. He averaged 18-20 tons per acre in a relatively poor growing season. This particular corn field was a former alfalfa field that had been amended with pH+Plus Green wood ash. “I was anticipating to have that kind of yield, but with the growing season we had, I wasn’t sure. The potash made the difference. On other fields, that didn’t get the ash, I had to add 30-0-20 in season to give it a boost. I am pleased with the result.”

 

RMI is the latest business to join the ranks of buildings around the region to use their south-facing roof to generate solar photovoltaic (pv) electricity. “Recycling is our line of work” said Shelagh Connelly, President of RMI. “This solar project feels like the ultimate example of re-using and recycling. The sun beats down on our roof most days, it makes good sense environmentally and economically to ‘re-use’ that solar power to produce all the electricity needed to run our main office, and then some!”

Ted Vansant of New England Commercial Solar Services of Holderness, NH compiled a local team to make the renewable energy installation happen. TG Design Carpentry & Solar of Holderness, along with Mauchly Electric of Plymouth designed and installed the 23.9kW solar array. According to the installation team, this solar array is the largest commercial solar installation in Holderness. It is comprised of (92) 260 watt solar modules made by USA manufacturer, Solar World, and will generate over 27,000 kWH of electricity annually. This solar electricity will back feed the electrical meter at RMI made possible by NH Electric Co-Op’s Net-Metering program.

“In addition to RMI receiving the monthly benefits of net-metering, this array will also generate at least 27 Renewable Energy Credits annually”, explained Sandra Jones from the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative (PAREI), who supplied technical assistance and energy auditing services for the project. “NH Electric Co-Op (NHEC) must own a certain number of Renewable Energy Credits to meet NH’s Renewable Portfolio Standard and net-metered Co-Op members, like RMI, can help them meet their REC requirement by selling these credits to NHEC.”

The electricity produced by solar energy emits no pollution. According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, on average, every 1,000 kWH of electricity generated by solar power reduces emissions by nearly 8 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 5 pounds of nitrogen oxides, and more than 1,400 pounds of carbon dioxide. “RMI is proud to be part of this clean energy trend day in and day out” stated Charley Hanson. “Solar energy is a natural fit for our company because we are committed to improving the environment every day as we improve soils and crops with our organic products.”

	George Faran joined the RMI team in June as our Operations Assistant. In this role, George is responsible for the daily dispatch of the company’s truck fleet. This includes scheduling generator pickups and end user deliveries. Prior to joining RMI George worked for our next door neighbor MegaPrint as a production manager. George has extensive work experience in public safety including fire and police dispatch, and is a talented saxophonist playing in local community bands. If you go to a game at the Plymouth State University ice arena you will likely see George operating the Zamboni machine. George earned an Associate’s Degree in Fire Protection at NH Vocational-Technical College in Laconia and a BS Degree in Business Administration at Plymouth State University, New Hampshire.
	Maria Feraco is RMI’s new Full Charge Bookkeeper and Office Manager and the company’s newest employee having come on board in August. Prior to joining RMI, Maria worked at Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth as a Staff Accountant. Maria earned her degree in Science of Accounting at Mass Bay Community College. In her new job Maria is charged with a full scope of bookkeeping responsibilities, including processing billing, running employee payroll, and maintaining the various company accounts. Maria also works with the office staff who handle the myriad of administrative tasks necessary to keep the company going, ranging from handling mail, answering phones and keeping sales and delivery documents in order, to orchestrating today’s Annual Fall Harvest Pig Roast.
	Bill Wight joined our Delivery Team focused primarily on operating the company’s roll-off truck. Bill’s experience ranges from operating in the North Country timber business south all the way to Daytona, FL. In his non-work time you can find Bill enjoying everything NASCAR, especially the races at the track in Loudon, not too far from his home.
	Mike Paterson joined RMI at the end of June as our Over-the Road Driver. In this role, Mike serves a route ranging from eastern Massachusetts, north through NH and VT, and west into eastern NY State. Mike’s estimated 2.5 million miles of truck driving includes extensive experience hauling timber in and from the forests of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.