by Kirby Lindsay, posted 23 May 2011
On Thursday, May 26th, Cedar Grove Composting has invited everyone to stop by and enjoy a free hot dog and soda from 5p – 6:30p at their (very) new Fremont facility. During the ‘zero waste event,’ everything they sell will be 30% off. Didn’t know about the Fremont Cedar Grove yard? Well, that’s why C.J. Castillo, Cedar Grove’s Fremont Operations Manager, will barbeque hot dogs and give great bargains – to capture the attention of the neighborhood to the first Cedar Grove ‘store’ in Seattle.
What You Will Find
The Fremont yard opened on May 16th, on the parking lot at North 34th Street & Stone Way (behind Subway.) Cedar Grove has created a drop off station for yard waste and clean green, and a retail operation for an expanding number of products that “contribute to closing the loop,” according to Castillo.
Castillo, and/or his co-worker Derek Elliot, will take your compostable materials at a charge of $20 a yard. The neighboring North Seattle Transfer Station charges $20 a load, and also gives the clean green to Cedar Grove to be converted into high-quality compost and soil. So this won’t be about being cheapest.
“We’re trying to get the product to the neighborhoods,” according to Susan Thoman, Cedar Grove Director of Outreach. Cedar Grove makes five soil products, now all sold in Fremont. Three can be purchased in bulk: the 100% organic Compost, the NW Garden Mulch which contains a 50-50 split of compost and bark, and the Two-Way Topsoil which contains a 50-50 split of compost and sand. According to Castillo, the topsoil is “more popular among garden growers,” for lawns and vegetables, “while the compost is more universal.”
Castillo sells these three in bags, as well as the Cedar Grove Potting Soil (bark, compost, earthworm casings, and fishmeal,) and Booster Blend (which contains dairy manure.) Consumers can also purchase Garden Soxx, as well as compostable cups (hot & cold,) bowls, plates, napkins, take-out containers and bags.
Why They Did It
“This is a model,” Castillo described, “a sampler of all that Cedar Grove has to offer. You have the whole loop before your eyes.” Landscapers can now drop off yard waste, and pick up soil product(s) they need to complete their job – locally.
At the site, they also hope more casual gardeners will learn ways to be better composters. Thoman appreciates the loyal and returning Cedar Grove customers, who can now buy their soils direct, but she wants to reach those who haven’t learned the simple ways they can compost, and incorporate compostable materials, to help close the loop.
What They Do
Also, “people don’t understand who we are,” explained Thoman, who described the company as ‘soil designers.’ “One of the biggest pollutants we have is erosion,” she said, as top soil and nutrients leach out of our gardens and fields into the water stream. “We bring back the good, healthy soil,” she described, “it’s alive!”
Using a European process, Cedar Grove converts yard waste – much of it from Seattle – into nutrient rich, 100% organic compost. Their innovative process involves covering compost beds with membrane laminate technology and using two different kinds of fans to blow air through the waste, “to ensure it stays aerobic,” Thoman explained. This commercial process heats the waste to temperatures not achievable in a homemade compost pile, to kill off weed seeds and plant pathogens. They use no chemical additives, and create a finished product faster, through their process, than can be accomplished at home.
“It’s a very controlled composting system,” Thoman explained, that creates a very consistent product, done to scientific standards, and done in commercial compost facilities considered “one of the most developed technologically.”
Now gardeners in Fremont, as well as Wallingford, Ballard, U-District, etc., can access these products straight from the source. “I just want them to know that we’re here,” stated Castillo, “having it this close makes it very convenient.”
Stop by the barbeque May 26th, or any time, to drop off and/or pick up. Castillo currently has the yard open Mondays – Saturdays, from 8a – 5p. Times, and days, are subject to change, as he learns the needs of his customers. To confirm the open hours, he can also be reached by e-mail, or call 206/402-2440.
“I love Fremont, I love this place,” admitted Castillo. He’s anxious to get to know area gardeners, and/or anyone ready to learn more about how easy it can be to close the recycling loop!
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