First Class 1 Commercial Compost Facility Opens Under New Colorado Regulations

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Compost processing capacity has increased ten-fold with the permitting of Elements Mountain Compost’s expanded commercial composting facility. Elements has been operating out of Salida with a conditional permit since 2014 and offers food and yard waste composting for businesses, residents and events.

The site is the first to be approved under the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s new solid waste regulations which were updated in February 2024 to accommodate mid-sized commercial processors like Elements. The regulations determine what volume of feedstocks – like food waste or yard waste – can be processed at a compost facility and what infrastructure needs to be in place to prevent any environmental impacts.

For Elements, new infrastructure included a stormwater management system with berms and a retention pond to control potential runoff from the site. The design and construction process took over a year, according to Elements’ owner Julie Mach.“We have been volume-limited and at max capacity for over a year so it is great to have room to grow,” said Mach. “The expanded facility will allow us to divert more food waste from restaurants, schools, and individual households who want to reduce their waste and their climate impact.”

Currently, Elements serves about 40 commercial businesses and 300 residents through their food waste collection programs. Food services businesses can sign up for weekly curbside pickup and residents can subscribe to a drop off program in Salida, Poncha Springs, or Buena Vista. Elements also provides event collection at weddings, conferences and festivals like FibArk and the Renewal Fest. In 2024, they will divert and recycle over 800,000 pounds of organic waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill.

According to data in the 2022 Chaffee County Waste Diversion Plan, about 9,000 tons of organic waste are produced in the county each year.“Composting is the only truly circular waste diversion or recycling available in Southern Colorado,” said Mach. “All of the organic waste we collect is processed locally and becomes nutrient rich soil that goes back into local agriculture, community gardens and landscaping projects. All other recycling is shipped out of county, often across state lines, but you can give us an apple core and then put those nutrients right back into your garden with our soil.”

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com