Client Needs

After outgrowing their original composting facility, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) invested in a new, state-of-the-art CASP composting system just outside Minneapolis-St. Paul. The new facility, Dakota Prairie Organics was built to help the state of Minnesota meet its organics diversion goals and continue the SMSC’s work of protecting and stewarding the environment.

The new facility can process up to 115,00 tons per year of source-separated organics (including 25,000 tons per year of food scraps) in the CASP bunkers, and another 40,000 tons per year of yard waste in windrows. The facility has the permitted capacity to expand in the future, with the ultimate goal of processing 212,500 tons including 35,000 tons of food scraps for composting annually.

This facility will become one of the leading composters of source-separated organics in the Midwest, helping to set a new tone for what is possible in organics management in the region. As U.S. Representative Angie Craig put it, “This is what happens when we work together at all levels of government – we can make real progress and improve people’s lives.”

ECS Solution

ECS designed this 18 zone composting facility with reversing aeration, heat recovery, and stainless-steel trench floors to efficiently process diverse feedstocks in intense weather conditions. The system exhausts process air through free-standing biofilters when running negative aeration, and surface-applied biolayer caps during positive aeration for exceptional odor and emissions control. The reversing aeration technology helps to evenly distribute oxygen and heat, allowing for greater process control, moisture management, and rapid feedstock stabilization.