The Montezuma County landfill is turning treated human waste and wood chips into rich compost, and for the first time, it is available for purchase this spring.
The landfill has been working on its composting program since 2000 because it helps reduce the amount of material filling up the site, said landfill manager Deborah Barton. The landfill started composting internally in 2000.
“To me, compost, it’s nature’s recycling,” she said.
The landfill started selling the compost three weeks ago and has produced about 200 cubic yards for sale this spring. The landfill plans to have more ready for sale in the fall.
Before the compost is sold, it’s tested for pathogens, heavy metals and the levels of nutrients including phosphorus and nitrogen.
The compost is composed of wood chips and biosolids, which is treated sewage sludge. The biosolids come from the wastewater treatment plant, and the landfill has always received the waste from the plant.
The landfill allows the compost to heat itself naturally through the decomposition process to cure it.
Barton has found that the compost holds moisture well and suggests that customers mix the compost into topsoil for gardens. For grass, she suggests spreading a thin layer of compost during the fall.
The landfill started formally working on the project last spring after signing an intergovernmental agreement with the sanitation district.
In the future, the landfill would like to begin composting vegetative waste from restaurants and supermarkets, but every expansion must be able to pay for itself because the landfill is a self-supporting entity.
“We have to approach it from a business perspective,” Barton said.
The production will always be on a relatively small scale compared with the area because the fields can absorb much more compost than the landfill can produce, she said.
The compost can be purchased for $16 per cubic yard and is unpackaged. Interested buyers are advised to drop by the landfill during the week or call ahead if they plan to purchase it on a Saturday.
The landfill is at 26100 Road F.
Information: Call 565-9858
mshinn@cortezjournal.com
