Food scraps usually end up in the trash.
In Montezuma County, officials hope more of them will eventually become compost instead.
The county has quietly expanded its composting operation over the past several years, increasing production from roughly 100 cubic yards annually to about 1,000 cubic yards through new equipment, staff training and state grants. Now, a new local food scrap collection service could provide the final ingredient needed to begin producing compost made from household food waste.
Landfill Director Mel Jarmon said the county's compost program has grown significantly since he arrived.
"We've upgraded, got some people certified," Jarmon said. "We got some grants from CDPHE... and those have dramatically improved time, made it less labor intensive and improved our compost."
Today, the landfill produces compost using biosolids and green waste collected throughout the county.
Food scraps, however, have remained largely absent from the process.
That's where MoCo Compo comes in.
The local business collects food scraps from homes and businesses and delivers them to the county landfill, creating a supply stream that previously didn't exist. The company has also recently expanded its service area to include Rico.
For now, though, the program remains in its early stages.
"It's still not enough to do anything with," Jarmon said. "We're giving them time to get built up. It takes time."
Composting itself is relatively straightforward.
"You have a carbon base and you have a nitrogen base," Jarmon explained. "All we're doing is speeding up what nature does naturally."
Workers carefully monitor temperatures, moisture levels and the composting process to ensure pathogens are destroyed before the finished compost is tested and sold to the public.
The compost is already used by everyone from homeowners filling five-gallon buckets to landscapers purchasing truckloads. If food waste collection expands, Jarmon hopes the county will eventually produce a second type of compost specifically intended for growing food.
Healthy soil is becoming increasingly important as Southwest Colorado continues to experience dry conditions.
CSU Extension Agent Emily Lockard said building healthy soil takes time, but it can help landscapes become more resilient during drought.
"Building soil health over time can help folks be more resilient when drought does come," Lockard said.
Compost is one tool that can help by adding organic matter to soil, although Lockard recommends testing soil before applying it.
"You can definitely add compost," she said. "I highly advise testing your soil... You can add too much compost."
The effort also connects to broader changes in how landfills are regulated in Colorado.
State officials recently updated what’s known as Rule 31, a set of regulations that governs how landfills monitor and control methane emissions. The revisions were prompted in part by concerns from landfill operators about the cost and feasibility of new requirements.
While Montezuma County is not planning to use composting as part of its methane compliance strategy, Jarmon said reducing organic waste in the landfill still plays an important role.
"Food waste is one of the biggest contributors to the methane," Jarmon said. "We keep that out of the landfill. It makes the landfill last longer, and we're putting that stuff into a more useful product that everybody can use."
Jarmon said the county is still waiting for enough food scraps to arrive before it can begin producing food-based compost on a commercial scale. Until then, officials hope more residents will consider separating food waste from the rest of their trash, allowing what was once garbage to become a resource for local soils.
