DATE: September 9, 2015
TO: Board of Mayor and Aldermen
FROM: Eric Stuckey, City Administrator
Vernon Gerth, ACA - Community and Economic Development
Joe York, Street Department Director
Todd King, Compost Facility Manager
SUBJECT:title
Discussion Regarding New Compost Site.
body
Purpose
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information to the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) concerning a proposal for the relocation of the City's current, at-capacity Compost Facility from Incinerator Road to a new, central location on vacant land adjacent to the City's Water Reclamation Facility (Waste Water Treatment Plant) located off Claude Yates Drive.
Background
The current compost facility is located on Incinerator Drive outside of the City's southern corporate limits. This site was established and permitted by TDEC in 2011 and is only three (3) acres in size. The facility is at capacity and staff has been unable to identify additional property to purchase in the immediate vicinity of our current site. Subsequently, staff identified a new, larger centrally-located site adjacent to our Waste Water Treatment Facility that would provide ample room for expanding our composting operation and avoid having to begin incurring the expense associated with sending leaves, grass, and similar organic materials to a landfill.
In 2008 the Street Department collected only 366 loads of leaves or 4,392 cubic yards. Last season 696 loads of leaves or 9,048 cubic yards were collected. In 2009, the Sanitation and Environmental Services (SES) Department collected 383 tons of grass clippings and trimmings. In 2014 the volume exceeded 1,400 tons. Since 2008, the City has diverted 20,000 tons of organic material from the landfill.
Since 2011, the City has sold over $35,000 worth of compost, In 2015, the City compost sales have reached $11,800 to date compared to budgeted revenue of $3,000. This level of sales has occurred with...
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