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Composting restarted at Disney World in 1999 and improved product quality has led to use of the compost by the entertainment park's horticultural operations.

WASTEWATER treatment at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is accomplished in a 15-mgd facility operated by Reedy Creek Energy Services (RCES). Commissioned in 1998, the treatment facility consists of four identical process trains. Preceded by eight primary clarifiers, each process train is a series of cascading, continuously stirred tank reactors. Eight secondary clarifiers, deep bed filtration, and disinfection finish the treatment process. Gravity belts and belt filter presses are used for solids processing prior to composting. About 50 wet tons of biosolids are produced per day.

Biosolids originally were land-filled. Soon thereafter, RCES built an aerated static pile facility to compost the biosolids with wood chips and landscape trimmings. The piles were subjected to negative aeration with exhaust air directed to a biofil-ter. Food residuals and animal manure were eventually added to the compost mix, the piles were positively aerated, and the biofilter was eliminated.

For the next several years, RCES expanded the composting site to capture all of the biosolids produced at the wastewater treatment facility, and experimented with mixes and processes. Compost remained onsite until needed by a broker, who in turn resold the product to orange growers. In-house research determined that the compost was inadequately cured and contained excessive organic acids and soluble salts phytotoxic to annual plants. As a result of this phytotoxicity, and temporal inconsistency in compost quality, ‘Walt Disney World Horticulture was unwilling to use RCES compost. Instead, the horticulture division elected to purchase compost from an outside vendor for use as a soil amendment in annual plant beds.

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