COUNTY News:
It’s time to get dirty! Los Alamos County Council green lit the municipal-wide food composting in September and County staff are working to move the project along.
The projected start date for the food compost program is approximately two years.
County Sustainability Manager Angelica Gurule recently gave an update on the project to the Los Alamos Daily Post. She noted that the conceptual design was expected to be completed in May and work on the environmental study of the site is ongoing. From there, permitting will be addressed.
For the conceptual design work, Gurule said SES Engineers, the same contractor that did the food compost feasibility study, was hired to help with the design. She said the design includes one building to house the equipment and another for the three full-time employees who will be hired for the compost operation. The compost facility will be in Bayo Canyon, nearby the existing bio-solid compost operation.
She further described the food compost process, which will be “static piles that will be mixed with food and yard trimmings that will be turned with a windrow or a tractor.”
The compost soil will be trucked up to the Eco Station and will be available to residents and to the region.
The food material will be collected in several ways, Gurule said. Food compost bins, similar to the bear-resistant roll carts that are being distributed, will be stationed at the Overlook Convenience Center in White Rock and at the Eco Station. Carts also will be delivered to commercial spaces including businesses, schools and grocery stores and curbside pickup will be provided to those properties.
Food collection will occur seven days a week, Gurule said. Unlike backyard food compost bins, there are no restrictions on what types of food people can toss into the bins. Toss in vegetable scraps or bread crusts, meat scraps, eggshells or cheese rinds, it will all be added to the County’s recipe to make high quality compost soil.
Another key ingredient is yard trimmings. Residents are encouraged to participate in the yard trimming waste program by acquiring and filling up the tan yard waste bin. The bins can be received from the Eco Station. People can submit a request for a yard waste bin by going to Los Alamos County website.
There is one unwanted ingredient; one thing that will ruin the “cooking” of compost, and that is non-compostable material, Gurule said. Plasticware, plates, cups, napkins cannot be composted. Even if it is labeled as compostable, it will not be accepted at this time. Regarding yard waste, rocks cannot be composted, neither can regular household trash, concrete or pet waste.
Unsure of what to toss in the compost bins? Gurule said when the food compost program begins, so will the education campaign.
“We will be doing a big campaign before the roll out of the program,” Gurule said. “…education is key for the program, for gaging participation and ensuring we are collecting food waste streams and also yard trimmings … we are relying on our residents to provide clean material.”
If done correctly, everyone wins.
“We really want it to be clean material, nothing but food scraps,” Gurule said. “Then we will be able to produce a high-quality material that people can use in their flower beds and gardens. That is the goal – to have a product that people want to use.”
She noted that this program will be a win-win for the environment and for residents.
“I’m excited because it’s going to be win-win for the environment and I think it is a really good environmental and financial decision to manage our waste locally,” Gurule said.
She pointed out that garbage – food and yard waste included – is hauled 90 miles away. There are a lot of expenses included, such as third-party vendors that continually increase their rates. By handling more waste “in-house” Gurule said the County can reduce its greenhouse emissions, reduce hauling and tipping costs, and produce a valuable commodity: good soil.
“It is a good way for us as a community to reduce our environmental impact and save money,” Gurule said.
Gurule reported in September that the compost program could divert up to 4,500 tons of organic material, including 3,000 tons of yard trimmings and 1,500 tons of food waste, each year from the landfill. She explained 1,500 tons equates to 3 million pounds of food.
Additionally, the County could see revenue from the sale of high-quality compost. Gurule said a conservative estimate is $70,000 a year or $10 a cubic yard.
As far as how this program is being paid for, staff have applied for EPA grant funding to help offset the start up costs; rate increase may be needed depending on grant funding and long-term operation and maintenance cost of the program.
Discussions will be had with Council, public and staff in upcoming summer months.
