Sandpoint project aims to compost local food and yard waste at SOAC with federal grant and tribal-gifted equipment

Resource Synergy told the Sandpoint City Council on June 4 that a pilot composting system will be sited at the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center (SOAC) this fall to keep food and yard waste in Bonner County rather than hauling it roughly 70 miles to a Washington landfill.

Eric Maketzen, founder and president of Spokane-based Resource Synergy, told the council the first phase is fully funded and that the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho purchased the primary composting equipment and is gifting it to the University of Idaho for the project. “Away for the city of Sandpoint and for all Bonner County is 70 miles away,” Maketzen said. “Over a third of that trash is organic material, yard waste, and food waste.”

The plan calls for an enclosed, containerized composting unit placed inside one barn at the SOAC site, with cured compost moved to a secondary barn that has six bays for additional processing and curing. The system is designed to process food waste and a mix of carbon sources such as woody biomass, wood chips, sawdust or ground paper. Maketzen said the containerized unit mixes material over two to three weeks and yields a hot, active compost that then cures in the secondary bays.

Why it matters: Council members and the presenter framed the project as a way to retain jobs, reduce long-haul transport of organics outside the county and supply local soil amendment for city parks, landscapers and residents. Maketzen said the pilot could expand over time to accept more business and residential material and that the SOAC is intended as a teaching site, not a full industrial processor.

Funding and partners: Maketzen said the project’s initial capital and the first two years of wages are paid by a federal grant that he identified as part of the Inflation Reduction Act and administered as an EPA Solid Waste Infrastructure and Recycling (SWIFR) grant. He said Alterra Mountain Company donated funds and the University of Idaho is investing in site preparation. The Kootenai Tribe purchased and gifted the composting equipment; Resource Synergy will run outreach and collection for early business adopters.

Logistics and timeline: Maketzen said the containerized composting equipment was ordered about two weeks before the June 4 meeting and carries an approximate six-month lead time; site work (pad, electrical, water) and a screener purchase are planned so the system can be installed and operational this fall. The presenter said the system is designed to operate year-round because the microbial process generates heat and the units will be enclosed.

City role and requests: Maketzen asked the city to consider supplying woody biomass (ground branches, wood chips) as a carbon source to pair with restaurant food waste and noted the potential for the city to purchase its finished compost back for parks and street landscaping, reducing the need to truck compost into Sandpoint. The presenter emphasized the pilot will begin with select early-adopter restaurants and businesses rather than immediately serving broad residential collection.

Costs and market: Maketzen told the council he researched local retail prices and found commercial compost is selling in the $70–$95 per cubic-yard range; he said the project will aim for the premium end of that market because food-waste–heavy compost is nutrient-rich. He said bagged retail product commands a higher price than bulk sales.

Council response and next steps: Mayor Jeremy Grama thanked the presenters and called the project “exciting.” Council members asked about voluntary participation, year-round operation, job outcomes and who will bear ongoing costs; Maketzen said the grant covers start-up capital and initial wages, and that the University of Idaho plans to hire a staff member at SOAC funded by the grant for at least two years. Councilors and staff signaled interest in continuing discussions about feedstock sources and site readiness.

The project team left contact information and said they will continue outreach to local businesses and the city. Resource Synergy and partners expect to have the basic system in place this fall and to expand capacity and collection over time if the pilot succeeds.