HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-18-19 Public Comment - B. Weed - Food Waste CompostingFrom:Becky Weed
To:Agenda
Cc:Happy Trash Can
Subject:Food waste Composting
Date:Friday, October 18, 2019 11:24:28 PM
To: Bozeman City CommissionersFrom: Becky Weed
I had a conversation with Terry Cunningham this morning regarding food composting in the
Gallatin Valley—both the City’s plans and the two private businesses that are currently composting food waste.
This note is to thank Terry for his interest and time, and to follow up with a few key items that I hope the Commission will consider as it makes plans and affects local businesses.
Ryan Green of Happy Trash Can submitted a letter to Chris Mehl on August 19th and I have
encouraged him to resubmit it for the whole Commission. It covers many crucial details of his work, but I want to emphasize a couple of his points along with a couple of my own:
1. The city is planning seasonal compost collection, but food waste production is year-round. The private businesses offer year-round service—essential for full-service composting.
2. Food waste cannot be mixed with non-food materials that have been or that may have been sprayed with herbicide or other toxins if it to be used for compost that will be applied to local
organic crops, or fed to pigs. These are practical, high-value uses of food waste, and it would be a shame to squander such an opportunity since the Gallatin Valley has two businesses that
know how to produce and manage such compost. Mixing of contaminated materials is not a hypothetical risk ; there have been numerous cases of vegetable production wrecked by
contaminated compost in this valley.
3. Happy Trash Can is working with Amsterdam Meats to plan for composting of livestock waste materials produced by that small meat processing business. The cost of disposal for
offal, bones, hides, etc, adds a significant burden to their meat processing business, a cost which must be passed on to the livestock producers who use their service, and thus to
consumers who seek out that source of local, healthy meat. It would be non-trivial boost to the local ag economy if we could stop sending animal waste to the Landfill and instead make
the most of its value for soil fertility by making nutrient-rich compost. The system that Ryan has it place is suitable to expand for that purpose, and he has funding lined up, but that
investment will be put at risk if the reliability of the overall food waste stream is jeopardized by seasonal ‘competition’ with the City.
4. It has come to my attention that some consider the Happy Trash Can business to be “too
boutiquey” to be worthy of the City’s consideration as it lays out plans. To the contrary, Ryan and Adrienne (Happy Trash Can) have launched a business that is now ready to grow, and that
has taken an admirable holistic view of the place of food waste in the larger food production and consumption ecosystem. Furthermore they are working with a national business grown by
a Montana-born entrepreneur who has developed specialized tools for composting quickly and with minimal smell. They have experience and relationships with local vegetable producers
and the expertise needed to fit the pieces together. Karl Johnson’s business YES Composting is small, but is also filling a particular niche with his vermiculture strategy and high value,
generally smaller quantity composting.I have heard various Commissioners express aspirations of “being a leader in the State of
Montana” as it works toward designing and executing a range of ‘climate-smart’ policies.
That is laudable and sensible, but not if Bozeman assumes that other towns are in counties as prosperous as the Gallatin Valley. I hope that the Commission takes seriously the possibility
that partnering with diverse, existing local business may in some cases be more efficient, fruitful, and more interesting than going it alone in taking on the ’sustainability’ tasks.
I am delighted that MSU is also part of the food waste planning, but given that the Sustainable foods and Biosystems Major is thriving at MSU, with considerable student interest in food,
agroecokogy, and climate-smart policy-making, I consider that just one more good reason to integrate food waste composting with local agricultural production and local entrepreneurship.
Some of you have heard me say it before—“if you live in the City you live in the County, and if you live in the County you also live in the City”….
Thank you for all your work to try to help Bozeman progress and lead. I understand there are
many moving parts. Let me know if you have questions or comments.Sincerely
Becky WeedThirteen Mile Farm
13000 Springhill RoadBelgrade, MT 59714
406-581-8543