Cedar Grove Composting ordered to pay fine for odors
July 19, 2011
The state ordered Cedar Grove Composting to pay $119,000 in fines July 14 for odor violations at a facility in rural King County near Issaquah and another in Everett.
The fines resulted from 13 violations from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in 2009 and 2010. The composter appealed the violations to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board, but the panel denied the appeals.
“It’s about time. We’ve been waiting for someone to hold Cedar Grove accountable for their noxious odors,” Citizens for a Smell Free Snohomish County founder Mike Davis said in a statement. “We’re tired of Cedar Grove denying any responsibility and blaming everybody else while people all around the region can’t even enjoy their own yards because of the huge stench.”
The commercial composter is near the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill between Issaquah and Renton.
In a 66-page ruling, the Pollution Control Hearings Board said “odors emanating from the facilities have interfered with the reasonable enjoyment of life and property of a large number of surrounding residents.”
Issaquah businesses, government honored, ranked as top recyclers
July 12, 2011
Reusing office supplies at City Hall, recycling at local schools and businesses’ efforts to cut waste landed Issaquah officials and entrepreneurs on King County’s Best Workplaces for Recycling and Waste Reduction list July 1.
The county Solid Waste Division recognized 89 organizations in the annual awards. In Issaquah, the honorees include established “green” organizations and a newcomer, Outsource Marketing.
Each organization boasts exceptional recycling programs and a commitment to reducing waste. Issaquah municipal government and the Issaquah School District made the list. So did Pogacha, Rowley Properties and Timber Ridge at Talus.
Issaquah businesses, government honored for recycling
July 5, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. July 5, 2011
Reusing office supplies at City Hall, recycling at local schools and business’ efforts to cut waste landed Issaquah officials and entrepreneurs on King County’s Best Workplaces for Recycling and Waste Reduction list July 1.
The county Solid Waste Division recognized 89 organizations in the annual awards. In Issaquah, the honorees include established “green” organizations and a newcomer, Outsource Marketing.
Each organization boasts exceptional recycling programs a commitment to reducing waste. Issaquah municipal government and the Issaquah School District made the list. So did Pogacha, Rowley Properties and Timber Ridge at Talus.
Options abound for disposing of Christmas trees
January 4, 2011
Issaquah residents eager to toss out a dried-out fir face a handful of options to dispose of natural Christmas trees.
Customers tired of evergreens dropping brown needles can set out trees for yard waste collection on regular collection days. The trees must be cut to 4 feet or less. Haulers do not collect trees decked in flocking or decorations.
For residents interested in recycling, or tree-cycling, the King County Solid Waste Division offers a list of recycling locations. Or, residents can drop off trees at Cedar Grove Composting near Issaquah and other recycling sites. Read more
Options abound for disposing of old Christmas trees
December 28, 2010
NEW — 8 a.m. Dec. 28, 2010
Issaquah residents eager to toss out a dried-out fir face a handful of options to dispose of natural Christmas trees.
Customers tired of evergreens dropping brown needles can set out trees for yard waste collection on regular collection days. The trees must be cut to 4 feet or less. Haulers do not collect trees decked in flocking or decorations.
For residents interested in recycling, or tree-cycling, the King County Solid Waste Division offers a list of recycling locations. Or, residents can drop off trees at Cedar Grove Composting near Issaquah and other recycling sites.
Residents can also wait until Jan. 8 to dispose of old trees.
Noise from landfill gas-to-energy facility prompts complaints
December 21, 2010
Operator completed steps to reduce sound emissions
The stack of tanks at the Bio Energy Washington landfill-to-gas energy facility function as part of a complicated refining process. By Greg Farrar
The droning sound started about the same time a landfill gas-to-energy facility fired up to turn the byproduct of decomposing trash into fuel for power plants.
Rural King County residents, accustomed to the smells and sounds emanating from Cedar Hills Regional Landfill and nearby Cedar Grove Composting, noticed the latest addition not long after the gas facility entered operation last year.
Leaders had hailed the project as a milestone for renewable energy, but for many residents in neighborhoods south of Issaquah, the Bio Energy Washington gas facility turned out to be a headache.
“Before we built this facility, the county told us, ‘Look, sound is going to be a big deal here,’” Chuck Packard, Ingenco president and CEO, said at a meeting in Issaquah to address residents’ concerns.
Bio Energy Washington is part of Ingenco, a company specializing in renewable energy facilities.
The county had only received a couple of complaints about the gas facility until residents raised the issue in September at a routine meeting related to landfill operations.
City makes history in effort to turn restaurants ‘green’
September 28, 2010
A plastic fork and spork get picked out of the compost waste pile by Cedar Grove Composting General Manager Nick Harbert. By Greg Farrar
Groundbreaking packaging ordinance takes effect Oct. 1
Inside the neon-illuminated Rollin’ Log Tavern, the full effect of the city-mandated change from foam and plastic to eco-friendly cups, containers and utensils is apparent after a quick glance at the timeworn bar.
King County picks plan to keep landfill open for another decade
August 31, 2010
Cedar Hills Regional Landfill could remain open until the mid-2020s under a proposed plan, even as other factors — such as increased recycling and a feeble economy — stretch the number of years the landfill could operate.
The proposal to increase capacity at the giant landfill has inched ahead, after King County Solid Waste Division leaders spent 16 months addressing concerns about the project as part of a required environmental analysis.
Nearby homeowners raised concerns about odors, noise, storm water runoff, ground water contamination and traffic, plus potential impacts on flora and fauna.
Solid Waste Division leaders released the detailed analysis, or environmental impact statement, of the expansion proposals in late July.
The landfill encompasses 920 acres in unincorporated King County between Issaquah and Maple Valley.
South Issaquah residents seek relief from odors
May 25, 2010
Air quality officials seek comments
Fed up with odors wafting from nearby Cedar Grove Composting, residents in the Four Lakes neighborhood south of Issaquah asked the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to do something about the smell.
Now, as the air quality agency considers a permit for the composting facility, Four Lakes leaders want community members to offer input.
The agency wants to consolidate five permits for projects dating to 1993 into a single permit. The permit requires, for instance, Cedar Grove to filter air and handle waste inside enclosed spaces. In some cases, the company has already taken steps called for in the proposal.
The draft permit does not allow for production increases or changes to the way the facility operates.
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency officials will accept comments on the proposal until June 15. The agency will also hold a community meeting June 3 at Maple Hills Elementary School.
Cedar Grove turns food scraps and yard waste from more than 500,000 households in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties into compost at the Maple Valley facility.
The agency has received almost 8,000 complaints about the facility since 1988, with most of the complaints related to odor. Downwind residents reported burning eyes and throats as a result of the stench.
Free sustainability movie series continues with “Addicted to Plastic”
November 7, 2009
NEW — 6 a.m. Nov. 7, 2009
A series of free movie nights with films about sustainability will continue Nov. 10 with the documentary “Addicted to Plastic.”
The documentary will be shown at 6:30 p.m. at the King County Library Service Center Community Room, 960 Newport Way N.W. City officials said the event aims to educate the community about plastics, the effects of plastics on the environment and human health, and the plastics industry.
A panel of experts will lead a discussion on plastics and other related environmental issues after the movie. Information about eco-friendly programs, as well as refreshments provided by Cedar Grove Composting, will also be available to attendees. Organizers will give away door prizes after the film.
The free movie nights are presented by the city Resource Conservation Office and paid for through a grant from the King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program.
