Composting project at landfill

Not everything that goes to the Yorkton landfill these days is ultimately waste.

In fact, the facility has a goal of reducing garbage actually going into the ground landfill to zero by 2020.

That means looking at alternatives such as composting.

Michael Buchholzer, director of environmental services with the City said composting started at the landfill several years ago when they were asked about their interest in both large and small scale composting projects.

It was about the same time both Richardson Oilseeds and LDM Foods began their canola crushing plants, and both had plant cleanings they wanted the landfill to take.

Deer Park was also using flax straw "and they didn't know what to do with it," once it was removed, said Buchholzer.

So Environmental Services initiated a composting project.

"We started with the flax straw," said Buchholzer.

While they had straw, it takes a nitrogen source (fertilizer) to really make compost work.

Heartland Livestock came on side quickly.

"They were willing to give us some product," said Buchholzer, adding they have continued to support composting with a supply of stall cleanings when required.

The process worked, and the project was expanded to compost the canola plant cleanings, which Buchholzer termed 'browns' for composting.

The manure is the 'greens."

Over time other material sources have come on stream, said Buchholzer, including cleanings from the P&H elevator.

Those supplying brown material actually pay a fee to the landfill for handling what is essentially waste.

"It does cost us to handle it," offered Buchholzer.

The materials are placed in piles in long rows, and watched carefully, as composting is a rather specific process.

You want a temperature within the pile over 50C, and preferably in the 60s as coliforms die off at 65C, and weed seeds die around 60-62.

However, if the temperature goes above 65C it can rot the compost, "so we have to turn it to cool it off."

At times compost will get too dry too, and Buchholzer at that point they have to add water.

In proper conditions waste can convert to compost in about seven weeks.

"It really depends on the climate that you have," said Buchholzer, adding "when it's really wet it's really difficult to get the compost working."

As a result, "last year was a challenge," he said.

That said in the first year it was a seven week process that worked near ideally to "get product we could have bagged and shipped out."

However, at present they are not selling the compost, but are using it in-house, said Buchholzer, noting they use it as a seed bed material for grass planting at the landfill, and in areas they will be planting trees around the new water treatment plant.

However, the amount of compost is beginning to exceed what they can use.

"It's getting to be pretty huge," said Buchholzer, adding they are only in a position to "sell it by the truckload," although they are starting to envision developing a way for local gardeners to access smaller amounts. He added they are not ready to bag it themselves, as that would bring with added federal regulations.

The volumes of compost have certainly been growing. In 2010 they made 4500 tonnes, said Buchholzer, growing that to 9200 T in 2011, and 13000 in 2012.