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VOL 202
ISSUE #
THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!
George Chase, Chairman
I’m sure most of us have seen the very funny TV show, “The
Big Bang Theory.” One of the main characters of the show is,
Sheldon Cooper, a young Ph.D. who is extremely smart and has
an eidetic memory. That means that he can remember every detail
of every day of his life. If you had lunch with him ten years ago, he
can remember what you ordered, what you talked about, what kind of day
it was, and the main news stories of that day. Although Dr. Cooper is incredibly
smart, he has so many “quirks” that he has become a social outcast. He
is incapable of understanding sarcasm, humor, or human emotions.
Consequently, most people try to avoid him. So, even though Dr. Cooper
excels in the fields of science, math, and history, sadly, he is destined to live
the rest of his life alone. Although most of us will agree that our kids should
be proficient in science, math, and be appreciative of the arts, clearly, there is
another component of learning that makes a person complete.
Our lives are comprised of a series of relationships. It starts with
our parents and family, extends to friends and classmates, teachers, co-workers,
and so on. Our interaction with them can potentially make them - or us angry, sad, or happy. A relatively new field of psychological study is called
“Emotional Intelligence.” It is the study of human relationships and the
importance of understanding the emotional states of the people involved.
Being able to control your own emotions, and having the ability to manage
and understand the emotions of others, allows you to be in control of most
of life’s situations. Studies further imply that Emotional Intelligence can be
measured and scored, and that a high EI score is more important than a high
IQ score in achieving a successful and fulfilled life.
Sometimes what we say comes out wrong. Sometimes our actions
can be misinterpreted. If we want to have better relationships with our families,
friends, customers, employees, and business associates, we need to better
understand how they may perceive our actions and words.
FIRE – COMPOST AND ORGANIC MATTER
Fire is a serious concern at anytime and anywhere. Some fires can start
in compost and may cause the loss of property or lives. Fires are more
common at composting facilities than most realize.
What causes an organic matter fire?
Fire requires oxygen and fuel, which is provided by the organic materials
typically composted. Compost fires can be caused by spontaneous combustion, lightning strikes, heat from equipment or vehicles, sparks from
welding activities, wildfires and arson. Spontaneous combustion is the
most common cause.
What is spontaneous combustion?
Spontaneous combustion occurs when materials self-heat to a
temperature high enough to cause them to ignite. Typically,
composting materials ignite at temperatures between 150 and 200ºC.
As the temperature rises, the speed of temperature increase also rises. For
example, heat is generated about 16 times faster at 100ºC than at 60ºC
because the reaction rate approximately doubles with each 10ºC rise in
temperature.
In a compost pile, the organic matter and microbial activity generate heat from the biological activities; this activity causes the compost
temperature to reach 70 to 80ºC. At this point, the microorganisms die or
become dormant, and the biological heating stops.
From that point to the temperature at which organic materials ignite (150ºC
and higher), heat-releasing chemical [chemical vs. biological] reactions take over.
These actions include chemical oxidation, slow pyrolysis (chemical decomposition
brought about by heat) and condensation of gases within dry charred particles.
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Fire in compost piles
What is the recipe for spontaneous combustion in compost?
Key conditions
• biological activity
• relatively dry materials
• dry pocket
• large well insulated piles
• limited air flow
• time for temperature to buildup
Other factors
• non-uniform mix of materials
• poor moisture distribution
• difficult to know temperature throughout a pile
• lapse or oversight in monitoring
These conditions are all more prevalent within large undisturbed piles that
contain raw feedstocks, curing compost and finished compost than in an
active composting system.
Biological activity generates heat within organic matter, a goal for
composting. However, the temperature is controlled by heat loss through
evaporation of moisture, aeration and sometimes mechanical turning. The
moisture content of a pile may become too low, reducing the effectiveness
of the material to cool through evaporation and thus causing the temperature to rise above desirable levels (above 60ºC).
The critical moisture range that supports spontaneous combustion
is roughly 20 to 45 percent, while the optimal range for composting
is typically 50 to 60 percent. Large piles may inhibit air exchange, therefore not allowing the material to cool.
The combination of organic materials with low moisture contents in a
large unmonitored pile with limited air exchange is a prescription for
spontaneous combustion.
Are there different types of fires?
In large piles with limited oxygen, a smoldering fire starts when
materials reach their ignition temperature. This type of fire is inefficient,
producing gases, smoke and heat, but no light. When more oxygen is
present, a glowing fire can occur, producing smoke, more heat and higher
temperatures. With abundant oxygen, a flaming fire with very high temperatures will ensue.
Warning: a large pile containing a smoldering fire could change to a flaming fire
if the material is opened up, and oxygen is allowed to fuel the fire.
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How can you prevent fires and be prepared for one?
• Meet with your local fire department, and discuss compost fires
and guidelines to handle the fires if they begin. Explain the composting process and the organic matter that may be stored. Typically,
fire departments will use water on compost fires, which may not be
the best first step.
• Have an agreement with the fire department about when to call
them. For example, if there is smoke, call the fire department.
• Consider how to handle all the water that will run off the site as a
result of fighting a fire. The run-off will carry nutrients, compost
and ash [and possibly mulch colorant.]
• Have the correct equipment on site such as water, fire hoses, related hardware, equipment for moving material and written guidelines.
• Consider equipment such as tractors and skid steers as they could
be used to fight a fire. Ensure operators understand how to use this
equipment safely during a fire.
• Monitor your organic material for hotspots – high temperature
(76 to 80ºC), vents, smoke or burnt smell.
• Ensure temperature monitoring equipment can reach the center
of the piles.
• Ensure adequate ventilation and moisture content (above 40%) of
pile to release heat.
• Avoid large piles – no greater than 12 feet high.
Emergency response kit
Compost and mulch production facilities should consider creating an
emergency response kit as part of their overall fire prevention plan,
such as the one developed by California composter Matt Cotton of
Intergrated Waste Management Consulting. Here are some of his
suggestions. The kit should be designed for easy access and portability. In an emergency, the kit could be placed on a front-end loader or
forklift and rushed to the fire scene. Each facility should evaluate its own
emergency response needs to build their kit.
• 400 feet of fire hose (1 ½ inch diameter)
• one 1 ½ inch fire hose Y
• two 1 ½ inch diameter fire hose nozzles
• one fire hydrant wrench
• two ABC 20-pound fire extinguishers
• keys for the necessary equipment
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• response card with instructions for fire pump operation and an
emergency call list.
Fire – how to put it out
Surface fire – from lightning strikes, sparks or heat from equipment, etc.
• The proper response and procedures for attacking surface fires are
best obtained from the fire department.
• Applying water or chemicals usually works for surface fires.
Spontaneous combustion
• Do not aerate the material – added airflow feeds chemical
oxidation, fueling the fire.
• Equipment or operators should never climb on top of the material
when a fire is suspected.
• Remove material from the pile until the burning sections are
isolated and quenched.
– Remove coolest material from the edges of the pile first.
– As material is removed spread on the ground or stack in small
piles to cool.
– Apply water or chemicals to hot material.
Warning: Smothering a burning pile with soil and waiting for it to
cool is not a practical strategy for an internal fire unless the pile can
be allowed to sit in place for a long time, sometimes up to two years.*
*Thank you to Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development for allowing us to run this
article. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca
Information adopted from:
Rynk, R. 2000. Fires at composting facilities: causes and conditions. BioCycle Journal of
Composting and Recycling. January: 54.
Rynk, R. 2000. Fires at composting facilities: handling and extinguishing fires. BioCycle Journal
of Composting and Recycling. February: 58.
5
COLORANT SAFETY & SPILL PROTOCOL
Steve Moeller, Chemist II
Safety is important to everyone. Features
like blind spot detection and back up
cameras used to be premium features
on cars. As these options proved to be
incredibly practical and not just
gimmicks, they have now become standard or even mandatory safety tools. It
was determined these features prevent
accidents from happening in the first
place. The cliché goes, “An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure,”
right? We at Amerimulch® do our best
to include that prevention in our colorant formulations. Before you purchase any colorant, we spend time in
our laboratories to ensure you get the
most effective and safest products we
can provide.
Our colorants are formulated with environmental and personal well-being in
mind first. Using raw materials that are
present in everyday items from cosmetics to food packaging, we worry about
our ingredients so you don’t have to.
The main ingredients in our formulas
are commonly used pigments, such as
carbon black and iron oxide. When dispersed in our colorant formulation, these
pose no dust or airborne contamination
concerns. The other additives used to
6
Customer Spotlight
WOODSCAPE OF UTAH
stabilize, improve, and protect our
dispersions are continuously evaluated
and examined to ensure we use the most
efficient and safest ingredients possible.
That being said, accidents can happen.
Spills can occur. Since this is a product
designed to spread color, it can impact
your landscape in ways you had not
intended. Always be sure to have spill
cleanup measures in place. Those range
from spill prevention to having absorbent material on hand in the event of
a spill, training employees, and having
guards in place to prevent any contamination to bodies of water or into groundwater systems. It only takes a little bit of
color to get a lot of attention.
In the event of a spill too large to
handle on site please contact your local fire
department and/or an emergency
response contractor. If you have any
questions please feel free to contact us at
888-556-3304. We are here to help and
to answer any safety questions or alleviate any
concerns you or your customers may have.
Located in the industrial section of
Salt Lake City, Utah, Woodscape
of Utah is the landscaping/wood
products division of Streadbeck
Enterprises, Inc., a family–owned
business incorporated in 1993.
The business was started by Jeff
Streadbeck, who was joined the
following year by his brother Dave,
then by their father, Larry, and later by brothers Mike, Jon, and Ben. The initial business, Pallet Express (a dba
of Streadbeck Enterprises, Inc.), revolves around the manufacturing and repair of wood pallets and custom crating products, and continues with nearly
100 employees and two locations in the Salt Lake Valley.
Woodscape of Utah was formed in 1998 as a natural complement to the
byproducts of the wood pallet business, and has grown significantly in
the past several years. Originally focusing solely on mulch products (both
bulk and bagged), Woodscape now also offers playground chip and animal
bedding products, and has recently expanded and acquired new
facilities to produce compost products and wood pellets. While mulch and
landscaping products are primarily seasonal due to Utah’s climate, Woodscape’s
expansion into other products, including the wood pellet industry, foster
year-round production and growth of the company.
Woodscape of Utah purchased its first colorizing machine from Amerimulch®
in 2004, then upgraded to a refurbished ColorTrom® in 2009. In 2014,
Woodscape again upgraded to a ColorTrom 250. The quality and consistency of the Heartland® colorants, as well as the quality and consistency of
the base wood materials used in Woodscape’s colored mulch products, has
made it possible for the company to experience steady growth in sales each
year as its reputation for quality product spreads. Currently serving customers throughout Utah, Woodscape has begun expansion into other states in
the Intermountain area, utilizing the transportation division of its parent
company.
Creativity, quality of product, and expansion of products and customer base
is Woodscape’s goal. With a solid reputation in the Utah wood products
market, Woodscape looks forward to continued growth in the industry.
7
Industry Partner
ADAPTING TO A CHANGING MARKET
By: Dave Whitelaw - Grinderguy, www.askthegrinderguy.com
A few years ago we had a request from a customer to make a star screen to just scalp his
mulch oversize product. Not unlike a lot of other mulch producers, this customer received
once ground wood material of all shapes and sizes along with whole trees, lumber etc. Instead
of grinding everything again, he just wanted to scalp the overs off and grind the rest…make
sense?
As the mulch industry has adapted from natural bark to colored material, then from grinding
to more screening, we had to adapt just the same and respond to the changing market.
Being from the Midwest, our customer had the Emerald Ash Bore Beetle specification to
contend with. No mulch more than 1 1/4” in more than one direction, so making an exact
product was top priority. While the customer had several large trommels, they could not produce the volume required with a large screen size and some oversize material was getting into
the finished product. The trommel would just plug with too much volume going through.
Some of the loads received had 90% of the product passing spec without grinding, while others
only a third. So the only option was to reduce the infeed speeds which meant less production.
While demonstrating a large three-product star screen which we thought was the answer to
every mulch operation’s needs, the customer noticed that the top deck was not nearly long
enough and the infeed speeds needed to be reduced to accommodate this. For the size of an
investment required, the customer really wanted a two-product machine that could take the
volume of his 800 or 1000 HP grinder feeding directly into it.
After some napkin drawings, we took to building a two-product machine with a large
single deck. It took a year and a half or so, but what was born was the new Komptech Multistar
XXL2. The two-product star screen has a 23’ long, 64” wide star screen deck with a spacing of
½’ to 2”. This means that with the touch of a button, you can choose to have any size product
between approximately ½” and 2”. We chose this spacing after discussions with several mulch
operators that may have ¾” premium materials or two-inch course erosion control material.
This is possible by using electric motors rather than hydraulic, which spin about six times the
rpm thus creating a much greater product size range. The thought was to create as large of a
deck as possible that could either remove just fines from mulch, or could scalp the overs from
the mulch. So by grinding right into the screen, depending on what and how you are grinding,
you can choose to remove the fines or to just scalp off the oversize. With this large of a deck, it
created some challenges with production. Just like a trommel that allows spearing of material
toward the back end because of the reduced material flow, we had the same issue with this
deck. By adding another motor to drive the star shafts (we used four or five depending on the
star sizes) we were able to adjust the speeds of each section of deck to produce the exact product
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size desired. Instead of spearing at the end of the star
deck, just like you would get at the end of a trommel
drum, increasing the speed of the rear section removed
the larger pieces of material which were getting into the
finished product. Problem solved.
How does the star screen compare to a flat deck? I have
seen several mulch operations that use flat deck screens
to remove fines. The problem with this application if
that the flat deck needs to be much, much larger to
accommodate these types of volumes. The only other
way to be able to remove enough of the fines with a
smaller deck is to use a larger hole size. As a result,
you end up with too many good size pieces of wood in
your fines. This makes the fines unusable as is and they
have to be screened again to use or market this product.
Just like with a trommel, wetter material sticks to the
flat deck screen or even get longer more pliable pieces of, for example bark, that wraps around the screen
and start making the screen less efficient until it has
to be cleaned manually. The pliability of the stars and
the attached cleaning fingers reduce the buildup of wet
materials and keep the star deck clean consistently.
Of course, soon after the XXL2 was created, the same
request was made for a three product version, the XL3. Removing the fines is a top priority in
many mulch operations. By reducing the top deck size a bit, we were able to insert a smaller
bottom deck that will remove approximately ¼”- 1 ¼” material and the XL3 was produced.
While still being able to screen large volumes on the front end removing overs, the bottom
deck was able to remove any desired percentage of fines requested. For the customer that is
looking for real versatility, we are able to turn the three-product machine into a two-product
machine if only two products were needed by running one conveyor in reverse and putting
both finished materials together. Both units are hybrids with the ability to run with on-board
generator or plug into ground power.
Making all these portable units is not an inexpensive proposition, but is a must
to deal with the changing market. Additional units are available for electric units.
Stationary fixed star decks can cost only 1/3 of the portable units. Different sized stars can be
made for any product range size so the same machine can produce compost part of the day and
with the touch of a button mulch the rest. Giving the customer a versatile machine that met
their needs was top priority to keep ahead of the changing market.
While there are a lot of moving parts on the star decks, the increased volumes from production
more than makes up the cost difference in initial investment and production cost. Fuel savings
alone may make the monthly payments. Changing trommel drums is no easy feat, and the cost
of each drum could be more than a year’s worth of maintenance on the star decks. If you haven’t
tried one, do so. Find the limitations and see if it meets your needs for all your materials. It only
makes “Cents”.
Adapt to your changing market - a new color, a new product size or new product - respond to
your customer’s needs keeps you ahead of the competition. The price war is eliminated when
you have met your customer’s needs and they see you as a partner, not as a salesman.
9
DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE AND CUSTOMERS
By: Kit Welchlin - Kit Welchlin Communication Strategies
For many years I wondered why people
would become difficult. I wondered
whether they were born that way or
if they just polished the skill over
time. Then I read a book entitled,
Dealing with People You Can’t Stand,
by Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick
Kirschner. It identified four intentions
we all have at work: to get it done,
to get it right, to get along, and to get
appreciation.
When someone wants to get it done,
we should focus on the task and keep
our communication clear and concise.
When someone wants to get it right,
we should focus on the task and make
sure our work is well done. When
someone wants to get along with us,
we should invite that person into the
conversation. When someone wants
appreciation, we should let that person
know with our words of gratitude.
The problem is we don’t necessarily
like all of the people we work with and
sometimes we bite our tongues. And
when these intentions are not fulfilled,
people stand the chance of becoming
difficult. When people fear it is not
getting done, their behavior naturally
becomes more controlling. When people want to get it right, their behavior
becomes more perfectionistic. When
people want to get along, their behavior becomes more approval seeking.
When people want to get appreciation,
their behavior becomes more attention
getting.
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So, it got me thinking. It might be
a good idea to script a few variations
of what we could say so people know
that we’re going to get it done, get it
right, get along, and that we appreciate them. It only takes a few seconds
to tell them that you will take care of
it (whatever ‘it’ is) by the end of the
week, that you will review the information to make sure it is correct, that
you enjoyed working with them, and
that you appreciate their involvement.
By simply stating these phrases you
will have pre-empted their concerns
and minimized the likelihood of them
becoming difficult.
I don’t think it is too much of a
struggle to work with people that get
a little excited or agitated. However,
it’s the difficult people that are ruthless
or impossible, who keep us awake
looking at the ceiling at night. These
are the people whose comments haunt
us and their presence disturbs us. Here
are some strategies I have found that
help to minimize the damage and save
ourselves.
Move Closer. Move closer to the
difficult person during conversations,
when choosing seating arrangements in
meetings, and participating in teams.
Change the distance and you will
change the relationship. Closeness signals agreement. Moving closer conveys
that you are comfortable and confident
interacting with them.
Sometimes it helps to picture them
in your mind as a metaphor. Think
of them like a character in a play.
Imagine them as a curmudgeon, or
a scorpion, or a kangaroo, but not a
human being. A human being would
never treat you this way.
Say something that doesn’t mean
anything. Such as, “That’s an idea.”
“That’s interesting.” “You’ve got a
point.” “I will need some time to
think about that.” “I see.” “I understand.” “Go on.” These are neutral
comments that don’t give difficult
people any material to work with.
These types of statements keep you in
the conversation without creating any
additional conflict.
Make being a good listener a priority. Focus your attention. Do not
interrupt. Listen to the content, not
necessarily how it is delivered. Keep an
open mind. They might tell you something you need to hear that nobody
else had the courage to tell you. Just
double check with someone you know
and trust if the information is true. It’s
nothing for difficult people to lie.
Learn to say, “What do you mean?” or
“How do you mean?” Because we have
no idea what they mean. Take notes.
Have a system for keeping track.
Provide feedback and verify you have
it just the way they told you. They are
experts at changing meanings of words
and agreements. Confirm agreements
in your own words, because you know
what your words mean.
Understand your emotions and
respond appropriately. Don’t take it
personally. It’s not personal; they treat
everybody this way. Ask “what” or
“how” questions to clarify and resolve
the situation. There are no wrong
answers to what or how questions. The
more they talk, the better they feel.
My last suggestion for you is to consider the following philosophy. If you
were an actor, you would get paid to
play a role. At work, you get paid to
play a role. You know all of the characters. I’ve just given you your lines
and stage directions. Now, go ahead
play your part. Be the role model in
handling difficult people.
Kit Welchlin, M.A., is a professional
speaker in Minnesota and can be found
at www.welchlin.com.
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Amerimulch ® Customer Tribute VIII
The Ritz-Carlton & Horseshoe Casino
Cleveland, OH
October 7-11, 2015
Technical
Peers
Trends
Fun
We will keep you posted once the program and activities are finalized. Any questions
please contact Jennifer McCann, 888-556-3304 or [email protected].
®
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please contact Jennifer McCann at [email protected] and
provide their complete address.
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Amerimulch® is a member of the ChromaScape® family of brands. www.chromascape.com