A Bondurant company is getting a state loan to allow it compost material from ethanol plants, chicken growing operations, and wood waste at a facility near Earlham.
The DNR’s Tom Anderson says the J. Pettiecord company recently received a permit to run the operation. “This type of large scale organics composting facility is lacking in Iowa and seen as a critical infrastructure for sustainably managing organics and saving landfill space,” he says. Anderson spoke at the recent state Environmental Protection Commission meeting where one million dollars in assistance was provided to help the composting effort.
“The project will create a environmentally friendly, nutrient rich compost benefiting overall plant growth,” he says. “Finished compost also assists in erosion control measures by promoting deep plant roots and improving water quality by absorbing and retaining stormwater and capturing contaminants in the sediment.” The annual goal of this project is to divert 5,000 tons of ethanol plant material and 5,000 tons of poultry waste from landfills while producing 40 to 50,000 cubic yards of high-quality finished compost material.
They also hope to process some 20,000 cubic yards of wood waste into mulch and compost. “This project will effectively reduce 20 million pounds of organic waste from Iowa landfills each year,” Anderson says. The EPC approved a one-million dollar loan, with $10,000 of it forgivable. The company is putting in $350,000 of its money into the project. The company will use the loan to purchase equipment to run the operation.
The funding comes from the Solid Waste Alternatives Program and the project was reviewed by a program committee and a CPA.