Map the region
Layer every feedstock source atop the infrastructure that could move and process it.
Systems methodology
Methodology: Site selection & system design
This page records the filters, layers, and partnership logic behind every HVB proposal so that circuits stay accountable, inclusive, and ready for real-world deployment.
A repeatable method, not a hunch
Every HVB proposal runs the same gauntlet: map the region’s feedstocks and infrastructure, apply coverage rules that keep the network balanced, score each candidate across four dimensions, and shortlist only what is ready to defend. This page shows that method — and how all ten proposals scored.
10Proposals shortlisted
8Counties, NYC → Capital Region
4Scoring dimensions
25–50Miles between proposals
From the whole valley to ten sites
Four stages take a region-wide picture down to a defensible shortlist.
Set coverage
Space proposals 25–50 miles apart, cap two per county, span NYC to the Capital Region.
Score the matrix
Rate each candidate on four dimensions — ready, watch, or neutral.
Shortlist ten
Keep the strongest, best-distributed candidates and document the reasoning.
Feedstock and infrastructure, on one map
We overlay where organic material comes from with the infrastructure that can move and convert it. The layered atlas lets us toggle those layers and test whether the paper map matches the ground.
Feedstock layers
Where the organics are.
Agricultural
Institutional
Municipal organics
Food-waste generators
Biosolids / WWTP
Invasive aquatic biomass
Infrastructure layers
What can move and process them.
Transfer stations
Rail corridors
Compost yards
Pipe corridors
WWTPs
Landfills
Waste-to-energy
Visual inspection matters because a mapped compost site may still be yard/wood-only or locked in a legacy contract — the walk-through flags those realities before we build a pilot around it.
Rules that keep the network balanced
Coverage stretches from New York City to the Capital Region to connect the densest demand corridors — governed by three rules.
25–50 miles apart
Dense enough for shared logistics, while respecting the 25-mile radius the Excess Food Waste Law assumes for collection partners.
Two per county, max
Spreads investment, prevents any county from being overtaxed, and keeps operational support feasible.
NYC → Capital corridor
Anchors the Hudson Valley story to the region’s densest demand and its regulatory context.
Four dimensions, ten proposals
Every candidate is scored on the four dimensions below. The matrices summarize subjective judgment, so we explain each rating on the proposal’s own page — open any row to read the reasoning.
Industrial & hauling
Access to trucks, rail, or barges, plus co-located industrial partners and an existing logistics footprint.
Feedstock variation
Volume, seasonality, contaminants, and how many feedstock types (ag, biosolids, invasive, municipal) sit in one radius.
Pyrolysis potential
Thermal backbone, biochar demand, and synergy between thermal conversion and AD digestate.
Space & circular expansion
Available acreage and synergies with composting, storage, digestate polishing, or ag extensions.
Ready — strong fit
Watch — design needed before confirming
Neutral — neither advantage nor concern
| Proposal | Industrial & hauling |
Feedstock variation |
Pyrolysis potential |
Space & expansion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monticello Transfer StationSullivan County | Ready | — | Watch | Ready |
| Taylor-MontgomeryOrange County | Ready | Ready | Ready | Watch |
| Beacon Recycling & TransferDutchess County | Ready | — | Watch | Watch |
| WeCare Denali RocklandRockland County | Ready | — | Ready | Ready |
| Ulster County RRAUlster County | Ready | Watch | — | Ready |
| Delaware County SWMCDelaware County | Watch | — | — | Ready |
| Westchester County WWTPWestchester County | Ready | Watch | — | Watch |
| Wheelabrator WestchesterWestchester County | Ready | — | Ready | — |
| Dutchess County R&RDutchess County | Ready | — | — | Ready |
| Colonie Solid Waste LandfillCapital Region | Ready | — | Ready | Ready |
Reading the matrix: hauling is nearly universal — 9 of 10 sites are ready — so it rarely decides a shortlist. Feedstock variety is the scarcest strength: Taylor-Montgomery is the only site that pairs several streams (agricultural, biosolids, and invasive biomass) in one radius. Pyrolysis readiness and room to expand both cluster at the landfill- and campus-scale sites, with Colonie, WeCare Denali, and Wheelabrator leading on both.
Environmental justice, plotted early
EJ regions are plotted near every proposal so planners can see exposures, burdens, and opportunity areas — supporting inclusive outreach and a seat at the table for the communities most affected by today’s waste system. Screening follows New York’s CP-29 thresholds.
Urban screen
≥40% minority population and ≥23% poverty flags a community for EJ screening.
Rural screen
≥10% minority population and ≥25% poverty flags a rural community for screening.
Trust by design
Odor and traffic plans up front, public monitoring commitments, and clear boundaries on excluded streams.
Local soil value
Waterway protection
Health & transparency
Jobs & training
Fewer truck miles
Two audiences, two tracks
We tailor capacity-building materials, governance touchpoints, and engagement cadences so each audience gets what it needs without redundant meetings.
General stakeholders
Strategic alignment, funding, and region-wide coordination.
- Regional planners
- Funders
- Municipal leadership
Specific stakeholders
Day-to-day operations, contamination control, and equipment.
- Site operators
- Haulers
- On-site technicians
What the method produced
Ten circular-biogas proposals, distributed across the valley. Open any one for its site-selection rationale, partner lanes, and diagrams.
Sullivan County
Monticello Transfer Station
Read the rationale →
Orange County
Taylor-Montgomery
Read the rationale →
Dutchess County
Beacon Recycling & Transfer
Read the rationale →
Rockland County
WeCare Denali Rockland
Read the rationale →
Ulster County
Ulster County RRA
Read the rationale →
Delaware County
Delaware County SWMC
Read the rationale →
Westchester County
Westchester County WWTP
Read the rationale →
Westchester County
Wheelabrator Westchester
Read the rationale →
Dutchess County
Dutchess County R&R
Read the rationale →
Capital Region
Colonie Solid Waste Landfill
Read the rationale →The documents behind the method
- Feedstocks assessment — county organics flows, tonnage matrices, and reuse levers.
- Circular biogas systems report — the ten system diagrams with partner lanes and narrative.
- Layered atlas — feedstock and infrastructure layers you can toggle.
- Excess Food Waste Law — the 25-mile requirement that guides spacing.
- Environmental Justice — the screening that frames the overlays.