The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutYES Compost LLC - RFQ Submission - Bozeman Sustainable Organics Management Processing Services - Due 2_29_2024 by 2pmFrom:YES Compost LLC To:Agenda Subject:[EXTERNAL]YES Compost LLC - RFQ Submission for "Bozeman Sustainable Organics Management Processing Services" RFQ due 2/29/2024 by 2pm Date:Thursday, February 29, 2024 12:49:58 PM Attachments:YES Compost LLC - RFQ Submission - Bozeman Sustainable Organics Management Processing Services - Due 2_29_2024 by 2pm.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello, Please find attached the RFQ submission for YES Compost for the "Bozeman SustainableOrganics Management Processing Services" request for qualifications. We appreciate this opportunity and look forward to hearing back from you soon! Thanks, -Karl -- KARL JOHNSON | OWNER-OPERATOR (406) 219-7011 | yescompost.com 215 ARDEN DRIVE, BELGRADE, MT 59714 “Bozeman Sustainable Organics Management Processing Services” RFQ Submission by: Karl Johnson – Owner YES Compost LLC PO Box 1526 Three Forks, MT 59752 406-219-7011 karl@yescompost.com www.yescompost.com @yescompost Due Date – 2/29 by 2pm YES Compost Windrow steaming on a cool morning. Introduction: YES Compost was founded in 2018 with the mission of eliminating food scraps from the waste stream and instead using composting and vermicomposting (utilizing composting worms) to turn this “waste” material into valuable soil amendments. We provide food scrap collection services for homes, businesses, and events, and provide consultation for home composters as well as provide education to the community through lectures, presentations, and facility tours. We are proud to have the opportunity to show Bozeman Solid Waste the beneflts of working with YES Compost. Below is the information requested for the “sustainable organics management processing services” RFQ. Experience: As a hauler and “commercial” composter/processor (see attachment C for complete list of acceptable items), YES has gained valuable experience in knowing how these two pieces work together. From this knowledge we have been able to work successfully with several haulers to offer our processing services. These haulers start as small as a single family using a 5 gallon bucket in our “bucket-exchange” program to large national contracts that deliver 22+ tons of food scraps per load. Below are a few of our hauling partners that can attest to our ability to manage contract details such as scheduling, volume fiuctuations, contamination remediation, and tipping logistics. 1. Xanterra: 2019 – present Contact: Dylan Hoffman – 406-599-7071 Yellowstone Parks largest concessioner. We have provided collection services from Mammoth Hot Springs as well as processing services for materials hauled by Xanterra. The contract started with nearly 20% contamination but through presentations and feedback we now see virtually 0% contamination. 2. Denali: 2021-present Contact: Oscar Rodriguez - 623-688-7151 Material received in semi-truck with dump trailer. Loads were variable in moisture content so a dumping/inspection area was created for each load to properly contain material and quickly incorporate it into our windrows. Load sizes range from 8 tons to 22.5 tons. 3. 406 Compost: 2019-present Contact: Matt Elsaesser – 406-431-0815 406 Compost is a subsidiary of 406 Recycling which is primarily an electronic waste (e- waste) recycling company based in Helena. 406 Compost collects food scraps from Helena and delivers them to the YES Facility in Belgrade. YES Compost collects e-waste from throughout Gallatin County during food-scrap collection routes and brings it to Belgrade. 406 drops off their food scraps, then loads up the e-waste and returns to Helena. The logistics of this contract are complex, but we have proven to be fiexible and accommodating to make it work and expand the reach of our composting services by utilizing a back-haul of 406 Recycling. We maintain 60+ commercial accounts throughout our service area which ranges from Three Forks to Big Sky and all throughout Gallatin Valley. Below are four commercial accounts that I detail to emphasize our ability to work as a contractor on large projects to meet the speciflc needs of our clients. 1. Bozeman Health: 2018 - present Contact: Janee Shoemaker - 406-414-5182 We offer collection services three days a week and collect the full bins directly from the kitchen fioor. We utilize our specialized hot water pressure wash system to provide clean bins that meet health code requirements. 2. Bozeman School District: 2023 - present Contact: Brittany Selvig – 406-522-6381 We earned this contract in 2023 through a competitive RFP process due to compelling testimonials and our reputation for high quality work. YES collects front and back-of-house food scraps from all 12 district schools as well as the Central Kitchen. We work with student groups to improve the cafeteria program to increase participation and decrease contamination. Every week the material is hand sorted and pictures of any contaminants are sent to the school contacts to review. This communication is sent through our specialized customer management software, StopSuite, that manages our accounts and facilitates communication with clients. 3. Yellowstone Club: 2019 - present Contact: Kraig Kutch – 406-539-9952 Three different service locations within the club, each diverting between 250 and 2300 lbs per week of food scraps. This contract includes strict professional standards which we have upheld since 2019. We customize our services based on seasonality and also provide composting and recycling event services for staff and members. 4. Big Sky Resort: 2019 - present Contact: Amy Fonte - 406.995.5813 Over the last 5 years Big Sky Resort has chosen us as their contractor to service an ever increasing number of locations including staff housing, restaurants, hotels, dining facilities, and on-slope lodges owned or operated by the resort. We collect and process nearly 3 tons per week from this account during high tourism months. Through the relationships that we maintain with our hauling partners and large commercial accounts, it is obvious that we are a well suited contractor to meet Bozeman’s need for food-scrap composting. Our high standards of professionalism, collaboration, and quality of service make us an ideal contract candidate. In addition to food-scraps we also have extensive experience with yardwaste hauling and processing. We offer seasonal yardwaste collections to our customers and also have multiple accounts that “co-mingle” their yard waste and food scraps exactly as Bozeman intends to allow with this program. We have adjusted our recipes to accommodate all of these materials and break them down in an expedient process. YES Compost currently has 2 full-time employees and one part-time employee. Karl Johnson, the owner, will be the contact person for the Bozeman account and the main composter/operator at the Bozeman Convenience site. Karl has been composting since childhood and composting professionally since 2018. His expertise includes large equipment operating, maintenance and repair, as well as the skill/art of composting with multiple techniques/processes. He has developed custom software that tracks compost feedstock inputs, C:N ratio, moisture, oxygen, turning frequency, and machine time to ensure a consistent, homogenous, and high quality compost product. Karl is also responsible for managing PFRP as well as product quality testing through chemical and biological lab analysis to insure that our process and products meet all of the quality standards as deflned by USCC. We maintain an active USCC membership and attend USCC webinars and national conferences to stay up to date on relevant policy, process, and challenges facing the industry. YES is also an active member of the ILSR CCC (Institute for Local Self Reliance Community Composter Coalition) and participates both as a speaker and attendee of webinars, conferences, and Peer Learning Community (PLC) events. Our current work for the City of Bozeman includes our contract with the Bozeman School District for food scrap collection and processing. It has been a great success so far and I remain grateful for the opportunity to teach so many young Bozeman youth about the practice and importance of composting. Background: View of Facility from North – notice greenhouse for vermicomposting. View of YES Compost from West with Bridger Mountains in background. YES Compost has two facilities located in Belgrade. The composting and vermicomposting facility is on Big Hole Street (No USPS address as it is a 2 acre section of a larger property) and the bin washing and equipment maintenance shop is at 215 Arden Dr. #31. In 2023 we composted 1.25 Million pounds of food scraps and compostable materials (see appendix C for complete list), which was nearly a 2-fold increase from 2022. Given this increase we have secured loan funding through the MT DOA to purchase a wheel loader which will allow us to increase our inputs by over 400%. We expect to purchase this machine within the next 3-4 months, so the timing of this contract aligns well with our increased capabilities. We currently produce around 250 cubic yards of screened compost annually and mostly sell it to small farmers and gardeners in the Gallatin valley to improve soil health. We also produce 12-15 cubic yards of vermicompost and worm “castings” (worm poop used as fertilizer) annually, most of which is given back to our food scrap collection service participants. We have continued to capture market share in the food scrap collection sector as well as the compost/soil sales sector. Even with the market share increase for our collection services and corresponding increase in compost production, we have continued to pre-sell ALL of our products every year and we generally have a waitlist. We have loan pre-approval with three flnancial institutions to guarantee we have access to capital as needed for equipment, facility improvements, repairs, etc. We utilize three methods of composting; turned windrows, turned-aerated windrows (negative aeration), and vermicomposting. The method to be used at the Bozeman Convenience Site will initially be turned windrows, and then move into turned aerated windrows as that is the fastest know non-vessel method for creating a flnished compost product. The vermicomposting will remain at our Belgrade Facility for the foreseeable future. The advantage of turned windrows is the quality of the end product. “Static” piles, even with aeration, can have sections of material that do not fully compost based on differences in moisture content and unequal ratios of carbon rich and nitrogen rich materials throughout the pile. By turning the piles, using a front-end loader in our case, the materials become well homogenized and oxygenated, and at every turn (10-12 total) we have the opportunity to adjust moisture to keep it at an optimal level. The flnal layout of the windrows will be determined in an O&M document after inspection of the convenience site to observe slope, run-on, run-off, wind, vectors, and surface condition. However, we would likely use windrows that are around 20’ wide, 12-15’ tall and 100’ long as these are ideal dimensions for windrow composting in this climate. The equipment utilized for our process will be a front end loader (3-4 yard bucket capacity) as well as a small skid-steer and an electric vibratory screener. We are in the process of sourcing a trommel screener and are hopeful to have it operational by the time this contract is enacted. We will require access to water immediately as well as a regular power source once we move into our turned aerated phase of processing. The aerating equipment that we currently utilize provides “negative” aeration, however, we will utilize both “negative” and “positive” aeration at the convenience site (pulling air into the pile, and pushing air out through the pile respectively) to expedite the composting process and allow us to control moisture levels, temperatures, and odors. The negative aeration “exhausts” all of the hot air pulled from the piles into a large pile of woodchips called a biofllter. This biofllter traps VOC’s, controls odors, and helps expedite the initial decomposition of the wood chip material in the biofllter for later use in the windrows. Our turned windrow process as well as our turned-aerated windrow process both create stabilized compost within the stated timeline of the RFQ. As Bozeman expands its compost service, there will be many opportunities for residents to compost “certifled compostable” food service wares. YES Compost is experienced at managing these materials, and is well equipped to decipher between certifled and non-certifled (“green washed”) products from 4 years of servicing large events in Gallatin County. The compostable wastes from these events, ranging in size from just a few attendees to well over 4000 attendees per day, are primarily compostable food service wares. In this stage of the industry these items create a lot of confusion amongst users, so we work to make sure vendor are using all compostables as well as work to recognize those that are not so that contaminants can be avoided. This ensures that our compost products are contaminant free and can reach top dollar in the soil amendments market. YES is also prepared to mitigate contamination problems at the source through education and feedback. Our custom software allows us to send images of contaminants directly to the responsible party. Even though Bozeman Solid Waste will manage customer communication, we are well equipped to provide Bozeman Solid Waste with immediate images and feedback to share with the appropriate customer to stop the damaging behavior/habit immediately. Unique Capabilities of YES Compost: At our Belgrade facility we use a heat capture system designed by AgriLab Technologies to capture heat from our active compost windrows which regularly reach 150 degrees F. Hot air is drawn from the core of an active compost pile into a 6” HDPE perforated pipe and then blown through an air-to- water heat exchanger to create hot water. This hot water is then piped through a radiant fioor inside of a greenhouse providing a warm surface for our worms to live on throughout the winter. This allows us to keep our vermicomposting system active and thriving all winter long despite cold temps using only the free energy from the hot compost and insolation. This is just one of the ways we are constantly innovating to improve process, reduce cost, and increase accessibility of quality compost to our community. Owner Karl Johnson Displays a healthy and active worm population. To view our O&M plan and Facility maps please see Appendix B or reference DEQ Compost License #608. Workload: We are in the process of hiring 2 additional employees, which will more than suffice to cover the workload created by the Bozeman composting contract. These employees will operate our existing collection routes and the composting in Belgrade. Karl and Kye (full time employee of 2+ years) will be responsible for the vermicomposting in Belgrade and the composting at the convenience site. We have been planning for this increase in volume and are excited by the opportunity to implement it along with Bozeman Solid Waste. Claims: YES Compost has never been assessed or paid liquidated damages after completion of a project under a contract with a public owner. References: 1. Brittany Selvig: Bozeman School District Culinary Services – Hauling and Processing Contract 406-522-6381 brittany.selvig@bsd7.org 2. Janee Shoemaker: Bozeman Health – Hauling and Processing Contract 406-414-5182 JShoemaker@bozemanhealth.org 3. Kraig Kutch: Yellowstone Club, Chief Steward - Hauling and Processing Contract 406-539-9952 Kraig.Kutch@yellowstoneclub.com 4. Lizzie Peyton: Big Sky Sustainability Networks Organization (SNO) - Hauling and Processing Contract 612-723-0342 bigskysno@gmail.com Please see signed nondiscrimination and equal pay affirmation below in Attachment A. I appreciate your time, hope to hear back from you soon, and look forward to working together! Thank you, Karl Johnson Owner YES Compost LLC Dated – 2/29/2024 Attachment A: NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY AFFIRMATION ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and acknowledges and understands the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatments or proposer’s employees and to all subcontracts. In addition, ____________________________________(name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. ______________________________________ Name and title of person authorized to sign on behalf of submitter YES Compost LLC YES Compost LLC Karl Johnson - Owner, YES Compost LLC 2/29/2024 Attachment B: DEQ Compost Lisence #608 – O&M and Facility Maps: YES Compost LLC Minor Compost Permit Documentation 1. 1:24,000 map with 1+ mile surroundings 2. General Surroundings 3. Facility Offset Compliance 4. Facility Map 5. Wind and Water Map 6. Nearby Property Ownership Information • 1+ mile surrounding facility • Facility coordinates: 45°46'46.0"N 111°11'56.6"W 270’ 180’ General Surroundings • Access via Arden to Andrea to Big Hole St. • Approximate size 45000 sqft, or 1.03 acre Facility Offset Compliance Proposed Facility boundary Property boundary 200’ offset from Property Boundary 500’ offset from Facility Boundary • • • • • Facility Map Equipment storage area Active and Curing compost Cured compost storage Carbon Storage Facility boundary 100’ • Wind and Water Map Published Prevailing Wind: SSE Observed Prevailing Wind Daytime: SW Run-Off / Run-On Collection N Point Water flow direction Nearby Property Ownership Information: Attachment C: