Oregon composter seeks permit

Columbia Ridge Organics, owned by Houston-based Waste Management's Northwest Region and operated by the Columbia Ridge Landfill and Recycling Center, is seeking a permit to operate a composting facility at its location in Arlington, Oregon.

Before issuing the permit, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Portland, Oregon, is seeking comments from the public. Comments are due by April 3.

According to the DEQ, the company is seeking a new composting permit that would authorize the company to accept Type 1, 2 and 3 feedstocks for composting at the site.

The DEQ websites states Type 1 feedstock includes yard and garden wastes, wood wastes, agricultural crop residues, wax-coated cardboard, vegetative food wastes and digestate from Type 1 feedstocks. Type 2 feedstocks include manure, bedding and digestate from Type 2 feedstocks. Type 3 feedstocks include source separated mixed food waste, meat, eggs, dairy products, mortality and digestate from Type 3 feedstocks.

If approved for the permit, the facility would be able to handle the following:

• agricultural crop residues;
• manure;
• food waste;
• water treatment plant residuals;
• untreated wood waste;
• source separated yard, paper, cardboard and green wastes;
• •nonhazardous liquids; and
• •other nonhazardous solid wastes suitable for composting.

An estimate of incoming feedstocks to be composted at the proposed facility would be between 225,000 and 275,000 tons per year at projected full capacity. Aerated windrows, aerated static pile and static pile methods are proposed to be used at the site.

The DEQ staff has evaluated the proposed operation for potential environmental and human health risks, including risks to surface water and groundwater and possible odor impacts. Based on this evaluation, the DEQ says the proposed composting operation poses minimal risk for surface water and groundwater impacts and a minimal risk for impact to neighboring properties from odors.

Although the potential impacts to surface and groundwater are determined to be low, DEQ says oversight will be necessary because of the proposed types and large amounts of feedstocks that will be composted at the site. The oversight will be achieved through proposed issuance of a full compost permit and operations plan.

Following the comment period, DEQ may modify the permit based on the comments received.