Faith Farms to Sell Compost Produced at WM Composting Plant in Florida

Cleveland, Ohio based organic soil amendment manufacturer, Garick , which operates Waste Management’s compost facility in Okeechobee, Florida will produce, package and sell the Organic Valley brand of compost and potting mixes via a new collaboration involving rehabilitation program, Faith Farm Ministries. The company explained that it operates two Waste Management (NYSE: WM) compost facilities in Florida, including the Okeechobee Organics Recycling Facility, an eight acre facility located adjacent to Waste Management’s Okeechobee Landfill. The Okeechobee Organics Recycling Facility is permitted to accept up to 30,000 tons (27,200 tonnes) of organic waste per year and is part of Waste Management’s strategy to expand organics recycling. The facility, along with Waste Management’s Vista Organics Recycling Facility in Apopka, makes organic compost using local food, yard and wood residuals, which Garick said is used to make high-quality soil mixes for the landscape and garden markets. Faith Farm Ministries provide a free residential service for more than 400 people with drug and alcohol problems. Garick said that together with Faith Farm Ministries it has invested in and built a new packaging facility on the Faith Farm Okeechobee campus to bring the compost product to market. The Organic Valley brand will be available for sale in all Faith Farm thrift stores, as well as other retail stores focusing on organic products. Closed loop growth According to the company, the new collaboration provides a ‘closed loop’ solution – from raw materials taken out of the waste stream to a high-end organic packaged material - all locally procured and manufactured. The Organic Valley compost will be available in 1 cubic foot bags and the potting mix will be sold in a 1.5 cubic foot bag. “This collaboration allows us to grow our organics recycling and composting business with Waste Management while supporting the local community by giving men within Faith Farm Ministries’ program an opportunity to develop new skills they can take with them into the job market,” explained Ray Stamper, general manager of Garick’s Florida operations. Read More 17,000 TPA Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Plant at Michigan State University Michigan State University has operand a 17,000 ton per year anaerobic digester that will produce biogas from the co-digestion of farm and food waste on its campus. The WASP - Taking the Sting out of Sydney's Waste Located alongside one of the world's largest and deepest bioreactor landfills, Veolia's proposed MBT facility 250 km outside of Sydney has had its doubters, but the company says that conditions are now right to proceed. 100 TPD Biofuel Demo Facility to Process Agricultural Wastes in India A biofuel demonstration facility that will process 100 tonne of biowaste per day to produce cellulosic ethanol is under construction in in the Sangli District of Maharashtra, India.