||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
You may have noticed a buzz surrounding commercial composting in the islands the past few months. That’s because San Juan County’s Solid Waste Program is exploring how to best implement commercial composting in our community.
A food composting system was implemented at the fair in August, a citizen survey about the topic was conducted over the summer, and now, with funding support from the WA Department of Ecology, the County has contracted Resource Synergy to develop an Organics Recycling Implementation Plan for its three most populous islands.
Compost is decomposed food and yard waste. When done on a large scale, it is referred to as commercial composting. A commercial composting facility in San Juan County would collect organic waste from restaurants, grocery stores, other commercial businesses, and individual residents. Commercial composting facilities can sell their compost to farms, nurseries, and individuals, and it can be used in local municipalities.
There are many benefits to commercial composting, including waste reduction and enhancing soil quality. According to the EPA, about 30% of landfill waste could be composted and turned into something useable. Composting food and yard waste converts the waste into fertilizers that improve soil quality. Composting reduces disposal costs and could potentially save users money by bringing down garbage service bills.
“We were able to test-drive composting with the community at the fair. Over the four days of the event, 560 pounds of compostable waste was collected. It was a great success,” said Katie Fleming, Solid Waste Coordinator in San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship.
The citizen composting survey that was conducted over the summer had 312 responses and showed that 79.6% of people would participate in a self-haul composting program, 69.7% would participate in a pick-up service, and 85.2% would purchase the locally produced, finished compost for gardening and landscaping at their homes.
Now the County is moving forward with Resource Synergy, a sustainability consultancy from Spokane, to delve deeper into what commercial composting could look like in the islands. A plan will be drafted that will enable Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan to manage organics on each of their islands. This will allow San Juan County to close organic waste loops and reduce waste costs, enriching the local economies and retaining nutrient streams for on-island use.
To accomplish this, the Resource Synergy team will spend time interviewing residents, restaurants, and other businesses over the late fall and winter. Their input will allow Resource Synergy to draft a comprehensive plan for managing organics on the islands.
“It’s becoming more and more clear that residents in San Juan County are enthusiastic about a commercial composting program. We’re excited to keep the momentum moving forward, reduce the amount of waste we send to the landfill, and use this valuable waste stream to enrich our islands’ soils,” said Fleming.
About San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship: San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship is responsible for solid waste, marine resources, clean water, cultural resources, and climate and sustainability work. The department offices are located at 915 Spring Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship, visit www.sanjuanco.com/839/Environmental-Stewardship.
About Resource Synergy: Resource Synergy is a sustainability consultancy committed to helping Northwest organizations reduce costs and improve their environmental impact. Founded in 2015, the company has helped over 150 businesses, non-profits, and government agencies overcome adoption barriers, ensuring the success of energy & water efficiency and waste diversion programs. For more information, visit https://resource-synergy.com/.
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Hurray!
Thank-you Katie Fleming and the San Juan County of Environmental Stewardship and all the volunteers who have contributed their time and energy towards this goal of expanding composting to commercial scale!
True leadership and brilliant actions to be undertaking to reduce waste and improve our County’s regeneration. Good job, Katie Fleming, and all involved in this initiative.
The goal is laudable. The issue is likely to be waste volume and population density. I’ve observed this being tried where population density is about 10 times that as in the San Juans, and it didn’t pencil out. It did get to a couple of prototype stations that reasonably well, but it never got farther than prototypes. Of course, almost anything CAN be done with enough money, so this might have to be heavily subsidized with taxes or some other form of public money.
The consultant report is due … when?