A Falls Township landscaper intends to incorporate what FEMA deems its “best available control technology” for disaster cleanup to dramatically reduce landscaping waste.
Michael DiNardo, president 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.
On Monday night, the Falls Supervisors voted unanimously to grant preliminary and final land development approval for the biochar facility, which allows for the burning of up to 15 tons of wood and landscape material per hour. The resulting material is clean carbon ash, which can be used in rain gardens, Meginniss said.
In 2022, DiNardo presented the board with a conceptual plan outlining the implementation of equipment from AirBurners., a Florida-based company that manufactures wood and vegetative waste elimination systems.
“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.”
The solution, he said, involves using AirBurners equipment for a “slow, controlled burn,” which would reduce waste material by as much as 90 percent.
According to AirBurners, the FireBox produces clean carbon ash - also called biochar – which can be added to the soil.
As part of the process for constructing the biochar facility, DiNardo would need to clear some of the brush, while “keeping a visual buffer,” Meginniss said. A small portion of the parcel is deemed woodlands. When asked how much of the site is woodlands, DiNardo’s engineer, Heath Dumack, said “a couple of Levittowners,” referring to the homes famously built by William Levitt more than 70 years ago.
Supervisor Vice Chairperson Erin Mullen said she had initially been concerned about the woodlands but has since realized that it’s a “green process” that will be beneficial to the environment.
“We’re really excited about this coming to the township,” Mullen said.
A fire hydrant is on property now. Dumack said while there is no public water in the immediate vicinity, a 20,000-gallon plus fire protection tank would be incorporated. Fire Marshal Rich Dippolito said 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 its sales are in California, with a sizable percentage of sales coming from municipalities, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers.
