JACKSON, Wyo. — The Teton County Compost Facility received approval from the Teton County Board of County Commissioners to purchase and install equipment for a food de-packaging system.
The Board voted unanimously to grant the bid to Ecoverse Industries, during this morning’s council meeting.
According to the staff report submitted by Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling (ISWR), The de-packaging system is necessary to begin composting commercial food waste. The food waste de-packager is designed to remove up to 99.5% of contaminants from the food waste stream, resulting in a higher quality finished compost product and fewer operational staff hours.
Brenda Ashworth, Superintendent of Solid Waste and Recycling at ISWR, explained, “the system is specifically designed to remove bags.” She urges those wishing to compost to do their best to remove as many contaminants as possible before dropping off their compost.
“Right now anyone can bring compost to us at the trash transfer station,” said Ashworth. This includes commercial compost and residential compost.
In 2019, Teton County voters approved $2.5 million in SPET funding for the road to Zero Waste Infrastructure. The SPET funds will be used to purchase the equipment, totaling $505,766.76. The equipment will be installed at the Teton County Compost Facility located at the Trash Transfer Station.
According to Ashworth, the system is expected to be installed in late September or early October.
ISWR is working on a commercial compost hauling contract to make composting more accessible in the community.
The council also approved updated fees for the Trash Transfer Facility and the Recycling Center, effective July 1. Overall the fee increase is about 4%, explained Ashworth.
