COPRUS CHRISTI, Texas — Just about anything can go to the city's landfill including things like plants and food scraps, but that can soon change.
“Composting is definitely on the list of things I plan to do,” says Armon Alex.
Armon Alex is a young leader in the Coastal Bend, and a member of the environmental task force. One of the things he says he is most excited about is a composting facility, which is scheduled to be ready by next year.
“Alternative perspectives, to really combat the climate crisis that I believe all coastal cities face,” says Alex.
Funding is available from the solid waste budget, the council has approved the purchase of land, the award of contract, and the purchase of a large grinder to break down organic materials.
“For every hundred bottles we would spend putting it in a landfill, we would only spend 65 dollars making compost so its significantly cheaper, 33% cheaper than putting it in a landfill,” says Director of Solid Waste Services, David Lehfeldt.
After the freeze, Lehfeldt says tons of organic matter was thrown away, when it could have been used to help the environment through composting.
“If we run those through a composting facility, instead we would have ended up with a compost high nutrient value which would have been perfect for our landscapes,” says Lehfeld.
The way it would work, would be with the help of local sources disposing of their separate organic waste. Eventually people in Corpus Christi would have a bin at their homes to be picked up curbside by waste removal.
Lehfeldt also says the compost facility will present opportunities by creating local jobs.
Instead of creating methane it would create oxygen and provide a good nutrient soil for gardens and form partnerships with local nurseries.
This also means the landfill will have more space and will be able to continue to provide services for much longer than without a composting facility.
