Submitted by San Juan County.

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 usable. 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.