Client Needs

The District issued an RFP seeking a single vendor to provide a turn-key Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) composting facility that would: 

• Process up to 40 tons/day of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) per year in a region known for extreme winter conditions (later converted to Source Separated Organics); 
• Require few operational staff and a small footprint; and, 
• Provide in-vessel composting of mechanically sorted MSW. 

ECS Solution

ECS teamed up with Montana based, DA Construction, to build an enclosed compost facility featuring an in-vessel tunnel composting system. 

Pre-Processing: A wet mill homogenizes the floor sorted MSW, mechanically reducing paper and other feedstocks without shredding or grinding. The wet mill includes a coarse trommel screen section that removes 5″+ physical contaminants. Fines passing through the screen are conveyed to a heavy-duty mixer that blends them with biosolids and bulking agents. 

In-Vessel Tunnel: Primary composting takes place in seven low-headspace vessels that feature a sophisticated aeration design and the ECS CompTroller™ (automated process control system). These concrete and stainless steel vessels hold up to 175 yd³ each. The raw mix is moved from the mixer to the vessels with a specialized vessel loading conveyor system. This vessel loading system reduces labor, uses vessel space more efficiently, and minimizes worker exposure to feedstocks. 

Product Curing and Refining: An aerated static pile curing process follows primary composting in-vessel. After product curing, front-end loaders move the compost to the product refining area. An in-feed hopper evenly meters the product over a vibrating screen and then to an air-classification de-stoner, that removes physical contaminants in preparation for markets.

The compost that the West Yellowstone Compost Facility produces is used for projects within the Yellowstone National Park and West Yellowstone/Hebgen Basin Solid Waste District.