Bainbridge Island - Aveterra Corp - Composting Solutions

The people of Bainbridge Island are highly motivated to meet the needs of our city’s Sustainability Initiatives as identified in the 2016 Comprehensive Plan. We support the ability to process organic waste on the island, putting a stop to the practice of shipping it 45 miles one-way to a processing site. There is a potential site currently under the permitting process that is less than 400 yards from the existing transfer station.

Draft site plan — Currently operating as a DNR Mine Reclamation site, Aveterra will bring bike lanes, a demonstration garden and a frog pond. The only vegetation we’ll remove is the invasive Scotch broom.

If you’re from Bainbridge, as we are, you probably have lots of questions about the project that led to the formation of Aveterra – the one right here on our home turf. The permitting process, which is still ongoing, has been rigorous. In addition to meeting or exceeding federal and state regulations (from hydrological studies, to migratory flyways) we’ve been working with local businesses and COBI to make sure we’re dotting i’s and crossing t’s.

I see the island
Still ahead somehow.

I see the island
And its sands are fair
Langston Hughes

We conducted a thorough investigation of potential sites in order to find the one that would be best for our island with the lowest possible impact:

A fly-through of the new triangle.

LOCATION:

Why the “triangle property”?

Our first thought was to put the yard on transfer station property, but that would have required removing several acres of trees which, even if we wanted to be so dastardly, isn’t possible given current legal restrictions. Still, much of the island’s green waste is transported to the transfer station on Vincent Road – and then trucked off island again. We wanted to be close to all that good input. The sandpit is less than 400 yards from the dump – maybe 1000 feet as the crow flies — and along Bainbridge Disposal’s current route. A traffic study has been done showing that the creation of the facility will reduce current truck traffic levels on and off the island. We’ll end up with rich, certified organic soil and a significant reduction to the island’s carbon footprint. And no trees will be sacrificed.

Close the Circle at the Triangle | Your signature helps island sustainability
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To Whom It May Concern:

For decades, the “triangle property” at the intersection of Fletcher Bay and Lynwood Center Road has operated as an industrial sandpit. Islanders have a better plan. I support closing the circle at the triangle – making it a useful, productive and impactful place for Bainbridge that closes the loop and gives back to our environment. An island-owned compost facility will not only be a first - capturing nutrients and producing certified organic soils locally – it will reduce our community’s carbon footprint and help protect Puget Sound.

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REPAIRING OUR ISLAND LEGACY:

If you search the records of the Environmental Protection Agency today, you will find information on our island. You’ll discover that “the Wyckoff Superfund Site is located on the eastern side of Bainbridge Island forming the entry to Eagle Harbor, in central Puget Sound. It’s located on the former Wyckoff Company wood-treatment facility and subtidal and intertidal sediments in Eagle Harbor.” Given our priorities and our resources, we can do better than being infamous for our history of pollution.

Here’s a link to another EPA article.

Dr. Michael Cole – an expert in the degradation of organic contaminants in the soil – is clear: “bioremediation, more than any other soil cleanup technique, leaves the earth in better condition than before it was contaminated.” Addressing our island’s past mistakes is just one more reason why bringing a compost yard to the Triangle makes good sense, for us, and for future islanders.

NOISE:

The triangle property – which is about 1000 feet Southwest of BIFD Station 22 — has been an industrial sandpit since the 70’s. Aveterra won’t be grinding stumps or using heavy digging machines. There are in fact, strong local guidelines regulating noise. It’s worth noting that the equipment we’ll be using is much more modest than what is in use there today.

ODOR:

At old-fashioned composting sites, odors can happen when ingredients are stored for a week or more anaerobically (without oxygen). Our proprietary system is designed differently. We don’t have piles waiting to be processed. Incoming ingredients are put into covered bays where our patented auger system adds oxygen, and mixes in amendments, completing the process of creating certified organic soil in a matter of days, not years. The site also calls for an educational garden (as well as walking and biking paths) – so the prevailing smells of the area will be rich dirt and native plants.