MISSOULA — Garden City Compost is about to see some new upgrades coming to its facility, worth $8.5 million, funding for which comes from federal COVID-19 relief money.
Some of those upgrades include a concrete pad for the compost to sit on top of in order to come in compliance with state regulations and also help them address a PFAS contamination issue.
“You can never say there's no risk. I mean, there’s, there's risk with everything we do. This stuff is everywhere,” said Missoula deputy public works director for utilities Logan McInnis.
Watch to learn more about the changes coming to Garden City Compost:
McInnis told MTN that PFAS, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances and forever chemicals, are found almost everywhere today. They could come from a non-stick pan or even a Gore-Tex jacket.
The PFAS found at Garden City Compost come from wastewater that they use to create biosolids, which are part of the base of creating compost.
“The highest levels we've seen of those are 12 and 22 parts per billion,” said McInnis.
While there are no federal standards for PFAS levels in compost, the levels found within the compost at the facility are no more than what you may already have in your bloodstream.
“It's in the dust in your house. It's in the rain that's falling on us. It's in the fast food packaging. So, you know, the amount you're bombarding yourself is probably a lot higher going to the fast food store than anything you're going to see from here. But I can't say there's no risk,” McInnis told MTN.
Currently, Garden City Compost is in a grace period with state regulations since they took over the facility recently. To come into compliance, the facility will put in a concrete pad for the compost to sit on top of, to keep contaminants from seeping into the ground.
“We're a passive receiver. It's coming from you and me and everybody else. Like, we have to deal with this. There's no easy answers for how to deal with biosolids,” stated McInnis.
While there may be unavoidable contamination, compost facility manager Jason Duffin says composting is still a better alternative for dealing with PFAS when compared to putting waste into a landfill or incinerating it.
Watch previous coverage: Missoula City Council approves $8.5M project for Garden City Compost
“We're not seeing this stuff go to the trash. We're putting it to beneficial reuse, and it's the best way that we can be doing what we can with these organics and treated biosolids as far as science has proven to us so far,” said Duffin.
The upgrades are not only going to help the city address the PFAS contamination, but also increase the efficiency of composting within the facility by adding things like new blowers, which speed up the composting process.
“This is going to be a big boost for our facility, so it's going to increase our efficiency greatly over here just on the compost facility itself, which we really need because we're running out of room with how much products are being brought into our door and the resources being recovered and sustainability growing like it is,” said Duffin.
