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Les Liman: Twin Enviro still composting

To the Editor:

In the article “Organics Recycling — Not 1 Size Fits All,” submitted  by the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, it is stated that Twin Enviro Services is suspending its commercial and residential composting.

Not exactly.



Started some 10 years ago, Twin Enviro continues to run a major composting facility at the Milner Landfill, using biosolids generated by the city of Steamboat Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant as the main ingredient.

We added food waste composting four years ago at the request of the YVSC. Composting food waste was simple when added to the biosolids, but collecting  was difficult and costly. Only a few restaurants and fewer than 20 of our 2,000 residential customers signed up. It added another separate collection route to the ones that collect trash, single stream (mixed) recyclables and cardboard.



For restaurants, it took bear-resistant containers, set out at night, for frequent collection due to animal and odor problems (or the food waste had to stay inside a building, denying access for bears, but creating indoor odor).

For homes, Twin supplied secure, airtight containers that were exchanged for empties when collected. The containers had to be washed at Milner before they were returned to customers. Food waste never made up more than 3 percent of the material composted at Milner. A lack of demand for food waste collection is why it was suspended.

If you want to recycle your food waste, but collection is too costly, you can grind it in your sink disposal. When the material makes its way by sewer pipe to the WWTP, it will provide more food for the bacteria that already process (eat) the other wastes that arrive at the plant. The well-fed bacteria are trucked to Milner almost daily and composted into an approved, Class-A soil amendment for gardens and revegetation projects.

This will increase organics recycling in Steamboat Springs and also increase the processing load on the WWTP).

Les Liman, owner

Twin Enviro Services


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