Yolo County opens composting, C&D sorting facility

Northern Recycling, Paradise, California, recently celebrated the opening of its facility at the Yolo County Central Landfill (YCCL) in Woodland, California, which includes areas for covered aerated static pile composting and construction and demolition (C&D) and inert materials sorting.

Attendees learned more about composting and C&D and inert recycling processes while viewing the area and equipment. The YCCL provides diversion of organic materials, including food waste and green waste, from residential and commercial sources for Yolo County and the surrounding area at a rate of approximately 52,000 tons per year. 

“This latest innovation from the Yolo County landfill more than doubles our ability to expand the many beneficial aspects of composting,” YCCL Supervisor Gary Sandy says. “It will also extend the life of our landfill, benefit local consumers and reduce some of the troublesome aspects of composting, including air quality. We view this project as a major step forward in our continuing attempts to meet the challenges of the future.”

The opening of the new facility, run by Northern Recycling, will increase capacity to 182,000 tons of green and food waste annually diverted from local landfills. The covered aerobic static pile will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It creates optimal composting conditions via positive aeration, automatic irrigation, advanced temperature control and a biofilter layer. Benefits of the process include:  

• eliminating the need to turn the compost;
• reducing the release of air emissions and odors;
• decreasing ammonia emissions; and
• capture and reuse of water.

Completed compost will be marketed to residential and commercial clients. In addition, Northern Recycling’s facility at the landfill will decrease the carbon footprint of C&D recycling by eliminating the need to truck C&D materials to Sacramento for sorting.

“Yolo County is proud and committed to providing the best possible technology for diversion of waste from [the] landfill and its conversion of waste to resource,” Yolo County Integrated Waste Management Director Ramin Yazdani says. “We will also provide the best possible customer service at a reasonable price for Yolo County residents and the Sacramento region.”

The YCCL is offering free compost to Yolo County residents only in October.

The YCCL operates with an average annual budget of $39 million that encompasses landfilling operations, green and food waste composting, landfill gas control and electricity production, environmental compliance, capital improvements and administration.