A new $1.2 million, 5.7 acre compost facility east of Denver is ultimately expected to produce 250 tons of material monthly, a spokesman for Alpine Waste & Recycling said today.
The enriched compost will be sold to buyers such as landscapers, farmers and municipalities.
Steve Caulk, spokesman for Alpine, said the facility began operation two weeks ago and the first batch of fresh compost is due for completion of testing and analysis near the end of April, following a little more than two months of processing.
Alpine has two compost route trucks ,which collect food waste, yard waste (tree limbs, bush prunings), wood chips, feedstocks and green woody material. The route trucks deposit the materials into a semi, which takes the matter to the compost facility located at the East Regional Landfill near Bennett.
The compost is then placed in mixing machines which make sure there is a right combination of nitrogen (food waste) and carbon (green waste) to create the compost.
Caulk said the compost is then placed in approximately a dozen, 400-foot -long “wind rows” where the sun cooks the compost, eliminating bacteria.
The process takes about two months.
“All composted product that leaves the site will be subjected to strict testing within the requirements of the U.S. Composting Council,” said the company.
“Alpine has built its reputation as an innovator in this industry, and this compost facility is further evidence of our commitment to our customers and our willingness to provide them with services they demand,” said John Griffith, president of Alpine.
The company added that separation of the compost material from the “waste stream” allows alpine to reduce the amount of material destined for the landfill.
The company said it is the biggest commercial hauler of compost material. It said it recently expanded its compost hauling operations with the acquisition of all the compost routes from Waste Farmers.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com; twitter @HowardPankratz
