City passes ordinance allowing grease importation
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/03/2009
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The West Lafayette City Council voted unanimously Monday to pass an ordinance allowing the importation of certain wastes from outside city limits.
The ordinance will allow for the city to import grease from various sites, such as plants, restaurants and certain grocery stores, for use in the digesters at the wastewater treatment plant, which are used to break down food waste to convert it into electricity.
David Henderson, the wastewater treatment utility director, said this is the culmination of the digester project.
“We have ample capacity in the digesters, and it’s designed to take this grease weight,” Henderson said. He said that grease is “like rocket fuel” for the digesters, and that the importation of grease will produce electricity and revenue for West Lafayette.
“We have an opportunity to bring in probably 50,000 gallons of grease per week,” Henderson said. He said one gallon of grease can power a 40-watt lightbulb for 24 hours.
Monday also marked the first council meeting for newly appointed city councilor Jon Hoggatt, D-District 1.
Hoggatt, a 2005 Purdue graduate, was sworn in last night to replace Democrat Paul Roales, who moved out of City District 1 to move into the Indiana State House District 26 in order to run for that seat in the 2010 elections.
Hoggatt had previously served for the city in the capacity of the secretary of the West Lafayette Police Merit Commission, a position from which he was required to resign in order to serve on the council. Hoggatt said that while he felt some regret in resigning that post, he was very excited to move forward with the city council.
“My top priority right now is to get students involved with local government,” Hoggatt said. He said he wanted to get student organizations to talk to and be involved in the city government.
“I’m gonna push hard to establish a lot of those links.”