Teton County is taking steps to expand its compost program, seeking a contractor to offer food waste composting for a pilot group of businesses. “We’ll start with commercial entities only,” said Heather Overholser, superintendent of Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling and the incoming county Public Works director. “A very small number of them. I would encourage anyone out there who is a commercial food waste generator that would like to be part of the initial project to contact us.”
ISWR composts lumber, yard waste, grass clippings and manure, and its current composting contract has run out. The new contractor is being asked to add composting services for food waste, and potentially sewage (or biosolids) as well. In addition to the new waste streams, the contractor will be asked to implement new technology, such as aerated static piles, to maximize output of the composting program.
Five firms have expressed interest, Overholser said, but proposals aren’t due until April 19. After the deadline, Teton County staff and elected officials will evaluate all the proposals and select a contractor to operate the program. The contractor is expected to start operations in November, with the food waste pilot introduced in summer 2020.