The Board of Supervisors on Monday voted unanimously to grant preliminary and final land development approval for a biochar facility which intends to incorporate what FEMA deems its “best available control technology” for disaster cleanup to dramatically reduce landscaping waste.
President Michael DiNardo of Shades of Green Inc., a landscaping business located at 1777 S. Pennsylvania Ave., plans to undertake a phased development of a biochar facility at 80 M-Y Lane, near his existing business. Once complete, the green waste reducing operation would employ five to seven people, according to his attorney, Michael Meginniss.
The facility can burn up to 15 tons of wood and landscape material per hour, according to Meginniss, and the result is clean carbon ash that can be used in rain gardens.
in 2022, DiNardo presented the board with a conceptual plan outlining how AirBurners will eliminate wood and vegetative waste, said Meginniss.
“In my business, we generate a lot of green waste. It’s an exuberant problem,” DiNardo told the board in 2022. “This green waste is not going away. It’s very expensive and creates a lot of pollution to create mulch,” said officials.
According to Dinardo, using AirBurners equipment would allow for a “slow, controlled burn,” which could reduce waste material by 90 percent.
FireBox produces clean carbon ash, which can be added to soil, according to AirBurners.
In order to construct the biochar facility, DiNardo will have to clear some brush while “keeping a visual buffer,” Meginniss said. A small portion of the parcel is designated as woodlands. In response to a question about how much of the site is woodlands, DiNardo’s engineer, Heath Dumack, said “a couple of Levittowners.” He was referring to the famous homes built by William Levitt more than 70 years ago.
The biochar facility operation is very compatible to Mike’s current business, Shades of Green, which is very active in the community, said Meginniss. Mike is a certified Arborist who’s familiar with the entire industry and biochar and what’s being proposed is essentially a green energy solution, continued Meginniss
As supervisor vice chairperson Erin Mullen explained, she had originally been concerned about the woodlands, but has since realized that it is a “green process” that will be beneficial to the environment.
“We’re really excited about this coming to the township,” Mullen said.
Currently, a fire hydrant is located on the property. Despite the absence of public water in the immediate area, Dumack said the project would include a 20,000-gallon plus fire protection tank. According to Fire Marshal Rich Dippolito, that he was satisfied with that.
AirBurners’ machines have been tested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Armed Forces, according to the company’s website.
Most of the companies’ sales are in California, with a sizable percentage of sales coming from municipalities, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers, officials said.
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