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CSWD Could Keep Intervale Open

Burlington, Vermont - March 14, 2008

Composting in Chittenden County may not be dead yet. The Chittenden Solid Waste District says it is considering taking over the doomed Intervale Compost operation in Burlington, for at least two years.

The nonprofit center processes nearly 20,000 tons of yard waste, food scraps and horse manure every year, but it now cannot afford the work necessary to obtain a land use permit.

Solid Waste manager Tom Moreau says the district must keep organic waste out of landfills.

"By taking organic matter from UVM, the hospital, businesses, cafeterias, you know, restaurants throughout Chittenden County and homes, and converting that which normally would have gone to a landfill into a marketable product is an excellent thing," says Moreau.

Moreau says many questions still need to be answered, but if things work out the Chittenden Solid Waste District would rent the compost land from the Intervale Center and would hire a private company to operate the facility.

Bridget Barry Caswell - WCAX News