BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A California state law passed in 2016 requires counties to take up to 75 percent of organic waste out of landfills. In response, Kern County officials have proposed a $13 million dollar project intended to create a site near the Shafter-Wasco Landfill to turn organic waste into compost.
"What we are going to be able to do is remove that trucking, remove the pollution from the trucking, remove the costs of the trucking, as well as the cost of the composting that occurs once it does get somewhere else, and do it basically 100 yards from where we're currently processing," explained Kern County Public Works Manager Chuck Magee.
Magee says cutting costs and pollutants with the implementation of this project is an environmentally friendly way of reducing methane emissions.
According to Magee, the process is quite simple. First, the tree branches, yard trimmings, and other organic materials reserved for the green trash cans are collected sorted out, and ground up. That organic waste will then be placed into bunkers and covered by tarps.
"That technology in that system is what really prevents any odors or anything like that from escaping as this compost is made," said Magee. "We don't want to impact the environment. We're doing it for the opposite effect. We don't want to have odor complaints, we don't want to have dust problems, we don't want any of that."
Magee says the Public Works Department has gone through many permitting processes, a number of studies, and completed a full environmental impact report to ensure that this process is a good fit for Kern County.
"We did a study on what would be the most environmentally friendly method … and this system went above the other ones that we evaluated," said Magee.
According to Magee, the funding is already set in stone and would come from gate fees, bin fees, and land use fees. However, the county is seeking another form of funding that Magee says would offset construction costs.
"We hope, and we are submitting this next week to the state, a package to get grant funding to help offset some of these costs, and that award, which we are hopeful to get, of course, we won't know until September, but it could be as much as $10 million dollars," said Magee.
Magee says that as of right now, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has 30 days to receive comments on the compost project before the Public Works Department can move forward with the proposal.
Public comments on the proposed composting facility may be sent to PublicNotices@ValleyAir.org
