Nutrients PLUS, LLC, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia announces an agreement with NEFCO (New England Fertilizer Company), a recognized leader nationally in biosolids management, to purchase the Cumberland, Maryland Biosolid Processing Facility’s Exceptional Quality (EQ) Biosolids product to use in the company’s fertilizers with natural ingredients. The agreement with NEFCO makes Nutrient PLUS the exclusive distributor and further expands Nutrient PLUS’s ability to lead the industry in developing new sources for formulating, producing, marketing and sales of fertilizers with organic matter.
The biosolids product distributed from the Cumberland facility will meet all Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) permit requirements, and all Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) registration requirements. Some production of Nutrient PLUS’s fertilizers is anticipated to begin in September. Nutrients PLUS expects to purchase the entire output of pelletized biosolids produced at the Cumberland, Maryland facility which NEFCO designed and built and will operate for the City of Cumberland under a long–term contract.
“As an innovator in biosolids management, NEFCO is pleased to partner with Nutrients PLUS to harness renewable resources from the City of Cumberland to produce a valuable fertilizer,” said Virginia M. Grace Manager, Business Development, NEFCO. “ “We are delighted to work with Nutrients Plus to provide the City with this exciting biosolids management solution.”
The “NP Pathway to Solutions”, a research-based system developed by Nutrients PLUS, is unique in that the company has a neutral perspective for its sourcing of natural-organic fertilizer materials, meaning it tests and evaluates organic ingredients from a variety of sources to arrive at proprietary product formulations. Cumberland’s EQ Biosolids is such a source meeting the system’s criteria.
“In addition to meeting customer demand, this agreement meets our goal of research-driven, sound, environmental management while providing municipalities with a cost-effective means for managing their waste,” said Nutrients PLUS president John Moriarty. “Our efforts help Maryland, one of several states with nutrient management challenges, as its shoreline surrounds the Chesapeake Bay, and we do so by taking their product exclusively made for us and blending it in Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania with traditional fertilizer. Nutrients PLUS formulas then go to market and are proven to require less nutrients because they include natural sources such as Cumberland’s. It’s an amazing concept to avoid landfills in the region and use the nutrients for fertilizer, as they should be. There are only about two dozen wastewater treatment facilities in the United States that process waste-to-fertilizer in this fashion out of tens of thousands. We thoroughly evaluate all materials utilized in the production of our products, and we are particularly pleased that Cumberland’s product meets the high standards set for Exceptional Quality Biosolids under EPA Section 503.”
This agreement strengthens a long-standing relationship between the two companies, which began with Nutrients PLUS management team as early as 2003 for NEFCO’s facility in Quincy, Massachusetts. This facility services the city of Boston and forty-three surrounding communities, providing a beneficial use technique for ceasing the fifty-year practice of discharging biosolids into Boston Harbor. Additionally, the Biosolids Processing Facility in Palm Beach County, Florida which NEFCO made operational in 2009 has also become a part of Nutrient PLUS’s rapidly growing network of valuable natural fertilizers sourced nationally.
About Nutrients PLUS
Nutrients PLUS, based in Virginia Beach, VA, is unique to the fertilizer industry. The company developed the “NP Pathway to Solutions” system making it the largest recycler of natural ingredients possessing valuable organic matter in blends with traditional fertilizers. The innovative system begins with a network of waste-to-fertilizer processing sites where nutrients and the organic matter are recycled and then supplied to Nutrients PLUS’s production locations for packaging or for combining with traditional nutrients sources, then packaged. The system, designed to harness qualities of these renewable resources cost effectively, also features a waste stream neutral approach leveraging the value of corn, soy and other agricultural feed ingredients for their agronomic and environmental benefits. EQ Biosolids and processed manures are at the foundation of the “NP Pathway to Solutions” as they are converted by the system to curtail the overuse of traditional chemical fertilizers and improve water quality. Nutrients PLUS’s fertilizer products formulated with natural ingredients are registered and sold in 40 states and Canada.
Nutrients PLUS, a long-term sponsor of ongoing research at Virginia Tech, is committed to product innovation and development and serves as a consultant within the fertilizer industry to promote its mission: Lead self-regulatory actions to improve water quality and the environment by reducing the overuse of chemical fertilizers through sound, research-based programs and fertilizers formulated with natural ingredients.
Brand names and markets served include Nutrients PLUS® Clarus™ Screamin’ Green® distributed to the consumer by retail lawn and garden dealers; Nutrients PLUS® Clarus™ Pro sold to the direct segment of the landscape industry; Nutrients PLUS® Clarus™ BioDiversity™ distributed to golf course markets and Nutrients PLUS® Clarus™ 100 that are one-hundred percent natural such as Nutrients PLUS® 4-4-2 with 9% Ca listed by Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).
About NEFCO
For the past 20 years, has been known as New England Fertilizer Company, a trusted leader in biosolids management. With customized client solutions and a proven drying technology, NEFCO has demonstrated consistent excellence in designing, building, and operating sludge processing facilities to produce a free flowing granular Class A biosolids product – one that is readily used as either a product in premium fertilizer or as a renewable fuel.
NEFCO’s success in Massachusetts has been replicated in the past decades as the company has continued to grow geographically and expanded its technical solutions.
Today, NEFCO continually pursues its goal to be the most environmentally responsible biosolids partner in the country, expanding biosolids drying into a better, more efficient and affordable process through sustainable energy generation. NEFCO strives to help restore the environment in which we live by safely managing difficult wastewater streams; producing resourcefully recycled fertilizer products; generating clean, renewable energy; and greatly reducing the carbon footprint impacts from municipal wastewater solids management.