'Trash' to cash

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

By Henry Sweets

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Steve Michel, sustainability director at the Jackson Whole Grocer, just realized that his office trash can is getting full and he can do nothing about it.

Most of the waste he produces at work is biodegradable, and Terra Firma Organics used to haul it away for compost, but this month their one-year-pilot composting program ended.

“It’s definitely painful to throw it away,” Michel said.

The composting program took all the food and non-recyclable paper waste from seven area restaurants and hotels, composted it with the waste lumber and yard clippings the company already collects, and turned it into a salable compost product. The first year of service was offered to participating businesses free of charge through a grant from 1% for the Tetons and the Teton Conservation District.
In 2008, Terra Firma hauled 81,450 pounds of waste from the Whole Grocer alone, and diverted 92.5 tons from the seven businesses during its one-year duration.

“The program was a success to everyone,” Terra Firma owner Dane Buk said. “But I think the next year is going to be a bit sketchy … there are so many unknowns.”

A couple of Terra Firma employees in a pickup truck hauled the waste south of town several times a day. If more businesses joined, a larger truck would be warranted, thereby making the program feasible financially, Buk said. But at that point, the program would probably need a bigger piece of land. Buk said he has located a few parcels that could host a large scale composting facility, but NIMBYism and access issues have prevented attempts at securing a contract.

“We’re looking for anyone’s advice, frankly; if there is anyone that can help us,” Buk said.

For now, Terra Firma is waiting for Department of Environmental Quality approval of new plans for the transfer station before it can resume operations, but Buk said he would like to see the composting program on a larger scale.

“Some systems … are diverting 70 percent of the waste stream, which in our scenario could equate to about 1,200 semi truck loads to the landfill per year,” Buk said. “It could be the single largest self-sufficient recycling movement in our region ever, and it does not require subsidy. That’s pretty cool.” PJH
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'Trash' to cash | Planet JH News Article: General Environment

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