Rutgers Selects RVSA to Provide Educational Experience to Fellows

Earlier this month, The Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority (RVSA) hosted 25 Fellows from the Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute in Business and Entrepreneurship at its Rahway facility to highlight the importance of organic waste management. As an industry leader, RVSA was selected by Rutgers to provide this integral educational experience as part of a multi-week networking program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and designed to inspire the Fellows through unique industry innovation and business advancements.

The Fellows first visited Waste Management’s patented CORe® food waste slurry system in Elizabeth, which serves as RVSA’s feedstock supply partner following a recently-awarded 10-year codigestion contract. Following, the group was given a first-hand look at the codigestion process currently in operation at the RVSA Treatment Plant and the opportunity to speak with professionals regarding this changing paradigm of resource recovery emerging in the water resource sector.

“RVSA had the available anaerobic digestion capacity to create a food waste recycling infrastructure and moved forward with codigestion earlier this year,” explains RVSA Executive Director James Meehan. “With so many facilities throughout the U.S. ramping up to codigest high-strength organics like commercial food waste and fats, oils and grease, codigestion is a developing trend in the market. It was an honor to showcase this process to such a talented group of Fellows, who will return to their home countries with an increased knowledge regarding this innovation,” said Meehan.

Several of the Fellows expressed interest in a future RVSA follow-up tour and requested RVSA input on projects they’re currently managing in Africa. “Each of these Fellows carries an impressive and experienced background. It is our pleasure to continue collaboration and explore new opportunities,” said Meehan. In addition, with biosolids significantly enhanced through food waste digestion, RVSA intends to explore a partnership with Waste Management and Rutgers to further refine biosolid residuals with the goal of producing fertilizer for direct land application.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, created in 2014, is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. In 2018, the Fellowship will provide 700 outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. college or university with support for professional development after they return home.

The Fellows, who are between the ages of 25 and 35, have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive impact in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries.

The Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority (RVSA) is an autonomous agency created in 1951 that owns and operates a trunk sewer system and a wastewater treatment facility. RVSA currently serves more than 250,000 residents and 3,500 industrial and commercial customers in 14 communities in central New Jersey. Visit www.rahwayvalleysa.com for more information.