NEBRA continues to promote the environmentally sound recycling and beneficial use of water, wastewater, and other residuals throughout the Northeast, New England, and eastern Canada. NEBRA’s Residuals Committee continues to focus on non-biosolids residuals which are also NOT wastes: they are underutilized resources with significant environmental and economic value.
Residuals Reuse Offer Economic and Environmental Benefits
NEBRA members and partners are already seeing the benefits of residuals reuse in both industrial and agricultural applications. Some of the most impactful include:
Wood Ash – Increases soil pH, supplies K, Ca, Mg, and P, reduces compost odor, and supports carbon sequestration;
Residual Lime – High-reactivity CaO content quickly corrects pH and replaces synthetic calcium and sulfur inputs;
Waste Wallboard Gypsum – Enhances soil structure, mitigates heavy metal uptake, improves crop quality, and reduces nitrogen loss;
Drinking Water Residuals – Binds phosphorus, controls erosion, and improves topsoil blends for reclamation; and
Short Paper Fiber (SPF) – Adds nutrients and organic carbon, improves soil health, and supports degraded land recovery.
These reuse strategies lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce waste management costs, relieve landfill pressure, and most importantly boost soil productivity helping secure a more resilient food system. The NEBRA Residuals Committee has been collecting success stories for the new Residuals Webpage all about turning waste into worth. Here are some examples:
Maritime Innovations: Success and Strategy
Prince Edward Island (PEI)
PEI’s on-farm evaluation project is exploring the agronomic and economic potential of wood ash, gypsum, and compost as alternatives to synthetic fertilizers. Early results show:
Wood ash delivered a fivefold increase in rutabaga yield and the highest ROI.
Gypsum improved winter wheat performance and soil structure.
Compost enhanced soil microbial activity.
These findings support the potential of residuals to replace expensive imports while supporting sustainable soil health.
New Brunswick (NB)
A three-year provincial study identified over 315,000 tonnes of usable industrial by-products valued at $77 million in lime and fertilizer equivalents. The project spotlighted challenges such as outdated industrial by-product regulations, but led to a Memorandum of Understanding enabling temporary approval of residuals while reforms are underway.
Other Examples
Iowa Waste Exchange: Creative Reuse in Action
Since 1990, the Iowa Waste Exchange (IWE) has worked with over 5,200 businesses, diverting more than 87,000 tons of materials and saving $3.4 million in disposal and storage costs. Their initiatives included:
· Repurposing surplus t-shirts as food bank bags and first aid kits
· Redistributing mattresses from Iowa State University to flood victims
· Finding reuse pathways for industrial sludges and syrupy food residuals
IWE is a leading example of how cross-sector collaboration can turn waste into social, economic, and environmental value. IWE’s program manager and regional coordinator were guest speakers at the NEBRA Residuals Committee meeting in March.
Luxembourg’s Waste Audit: Data-Driven Policy Innovation
Luxembourg’s national Residual Waste Analysis revealed that nearly 50% of black bin waste could have been recycled. Variables like fee structures and outreach campaigns significantly influenced citizen behavior. This data is shaping updated policies and incentive-based diversion strategies.
New York’s Organic Resource Locator: Digital Infrastructure for Reuse
NEBRA’s Residuals Committee continues to share resources such as the New York’s Organic Resource Locator (ORL), developed by RIT and NYSP2I, which connects organic waste generators with users. The online tool features:
County-level search filters
Expanded user categories (e.g., schools, processors)
Downloadable datasets and waste quantity estimates
Real-time mapping to support efficient resource sharing
Programs such as NYORL strengthens organic diversion infrastructure and supports climate and food security goals through smarter resource flows.
Join the Movement -- From Waste to Worth!
From Iowa to New Brunswick, success stories show that residuals reuse is economically viable, scientifically sound, and socially impactful. NEBRA invites you to be part of a transformation in thinking, where waste is seen not as a problem to manage, but as a solution to cultivate.