Federal and state legislation is increasingly making solid waste management an important service provided by rural communities and planning regions. Few systems have been designed for rural areas, and few studies have included data on spatial effects of collection density and transfer distances to disposal sites. Models are given estimating quantity of solid waste generated and costs per ton of solid waste collected, transferred, and disposed for different service areas and alternative technologies. The data can be used to project quantities of solid waste for collection and disposal and to determine optimum site location of disposal facilities in rural regions.

Waste heat could be used by farmers to provide environmental control for broilers and swine. The amount of waste heat which could be so used is about 1 to 2% of the total available from electric power plants. A proposed system for using waste heat involves conventional pad and fan systems with finned-tube coils mounted downstream of the pads. The potential savings to farmers in fuel and feed costs are significant. However, major problems exist which must be investigated to determine whether incentives exist to develop and implement such systems. These problems include economics, management, marketing, disposal of animal wastes, dispersion of farming units, size of agricultural operation, climate, and seasonality of waste heat demands.

The improvement of animal waste handling and treatment techniques depends upon understanding animal waste production and distribution patterns in a confined area. A corral was selected from a typical Chino-Corona, California area dairy to study waste accumulation and distribution on corral surfaces and to determine its effect on underlying soil strata. Waste deposited on the surface tended to accumulate in a small area of the corral; as much as 57% of the waste was in an area equaling 30% of the total corral surface. Considerable decomposition of organic matter and nitrogen loss took place during accumulation; however, collected waste samples were relatively unstable and subject to further decomposition. After a long period of dairy operations, leaching of nitrates, chlorides, and organic matter into soils was substantial. The same order of magnitude of leaching of chloride and organic carbon occurred throughout the entire corral surface. The amount of nitrate underneath the area of heavy waste accumulation was less than that in the other part of the corral. An apparent unfavorable condition developed for nitrogen transformations that reduced the amount of nitrogen subject to leaching. Future improvement in dairy waste management should take this into consideration in order to minimize its potential cause of ground water pollution.

Abstract: The preparation and serving of food in medical facilities has taken a turn for the better, with increased knowledge of food handling methods and better equipment. The Ready Foods Systems has solved many of the problems inherent in institutional feeding: quality, variety, delivery and deadlines. The foods are mass prepared at the facility, frozen and later readied for serving on the floor with microwave ovens. This allows better use of kitchen facilities, greater storage life for perishables, better nutrient retention, less food waste, and is very cost efficient. Operational details include menu planning, production schedules, management, sanitation, and equipment. A detailed description of the planning and implementation of the system is presented.