Oh, scrap! Businesses feel pinch of order to close down Vt. Compost Co.
Toolbox
By Sarah Hinckley Times Argus Staff - Published: July 16, 2008
MONTPELIER – In less than a year, The Wayside Restaurant and Bakery has sent 47 tons of food scraps to the Vermont Compost Co.
Now the Wayside and many others who divert food waste from landfills are wondering where their scraps are going to go if the Vermont Compost Co. shuts down as ordered by the state's Natural Resource Board.
Diverting food scraps at the Wayside, a popular local diner, has not only reduced the restaurant's solid waste bill, but the garbage truck stops by less often to pick up non-food waste items, according to owner Brian Zecchinelli.
In April 2007, employees of the restaurant began segregating food scraps from the regular trash and by January, 47 fewer tons had gone into the state's landfills – more since then, of course.
"It was quite a challenge to do it, but we're very happy to be doing it," said Zecchinelli, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Karen. "It took a lot of effort and continues to be another job for the dish people, but they've embraced it."
There are 36 participants in the Central Vermont Solid Waste District's food composting program, according to Lydia Menendez, special programs coordinator. She estimates an average of 13 tons of food scraps are kept from landfills each week through the program.
Participating in the program are schools, restaurants, baking companies, grocery stores and the cafeterias from state government buildings and large businesses represented in the 22 member towns of the district. There have been as many as 42 participants in the food compost program at one time since it began in April 2004. At the end of last week, from its inception, the program has kept 1,944 tons of food waste out of the landfill, according to Menendez.
So what will those suppliers of food waste – the Wayside, schools, etc. — do if Vermont Compost Company is forced to shut down its operations?
"We're still working on the details as to what that might look like," Mendez said Tuesday.
The solid waste district's executive director, Donna Barlow Casey, and Vermont Compost owner Karl Hammer are scheduled to meet today to put a plan together.
"Our understanding is their East Montpelier site is our backup," said Barlow Casey. "It's unfortunate that he got caught in the situation he's in. Keeping organics out of the landfill is critical… If our state, which has a reputation of being a green state, here and around the country, puts Karl out of business, that would be a horrific outcome."
Hammer was given an order to cease commercial composting operations by the state's Natural Resources Board on July 7. He has 15 days to request a hearing and appeal the order, which Hammer said he is doing.
"This is pending litigation, I'm not exactly clear what the state – or the NRB — wants," said Hammer about the order. "We're fully operational. We're accepting materials. We have animals here. We have a responsibility to the 40 participants. We have a responsibility to our customers to provide their horticultural needs."
Several area farmers posted signs next to their booths at the Capital City Farmers Market last Saturday noting how their business depends upon the Vermont Compost Company.
"This is very key infrastructure for Vermont's organic crop," said Hammer, whose business, along with Intervale Compost Products in Burlington, was a focus during the last legislative session. "You don't shut off a water source before finding another. This order is strictly definitional."
In the order, the Natural Resources Board says Hammer and his company are in violation for commencing development without a land use permit. The company was incorporated under Vermont law in 1993 and established at its current Main Street location in 1996, according to Hammer. If the NRB order stands through the hearing process, Hammer could be subject to up to $18,000 in fines.
"We're still operating, we didn't cease," said Jennifer Whitman, one of nine employees of the compost company. "There's no plan if we did have to stop operations."
Doing so may also change the way the New England Culinary Institute does business, both in instructing students and helping the environment.
"We talk a lot about composting in all of our classes," said Tom Bivins, Executive Chef for NECI. "We think it's part of our responsibility as food educators and leaders in the community."
The culinary institute has been composting its food scraps for at least the duration of the Central Vermont Solid Waste District's program. A significant amount of what the school throws away from its outlets in Montpelier goes to the compost company.
"It's easily 50 percent of our waste," said Bivins, explaining how the culinary institute's programming includes a sustainable component. "It's huge, all of our scraps, all of our things that we can't have our students creatively make into something. It's substantial for us."
"All of our facilities are composting," he said. "Our students are very excited about buying local and composting… Once they see it works, they take it with them."
Hammer has until July 22 to appeal the order to cease composting operations from the Natural Resources Board.
"This is quite extraordinary for the NRB to intervene on its own," said Hammer, referring to a prior case with the company that is in the appeal process in the state's environmental court. "This is extraordinary and it's quite Draconian. We really don't know what the goal here is."
Contact Sarah Hinckley at sarah.hinckley@timesargus.com.
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