EcoVerde Organics

“Good for your garden, good for your community, good for your planet” – and, in the eyes of Genesee County Planning Board members, good enough for a location on Wright Road in the Town of Alabama.

Planners on Thursday night recommended approval of a site plan for EcoVerde Organics, LLC, of Buffalo, to own and operate a compost facility on a portion of a 27-acre parcel in an Industrial zone at 396 Wright Rd.

The company, which was formed in 2017 by entrepreneur Warren Emblidge Jr., uses the motto above as it promotes environmental and social ecosystem improvement through composting.

EcoVerde Assistant Chief Katy Duggan appeared at the planning board meeting at County Building 2 on West Main Street Road.

“We’re a small company that was started by a local businessman (Emblidge, EcoVerde’s chief) who had been successful (in other ventures) for many years,” Duggan said. “He got the idea of sustainability and the next step was to get some composting going.”

Duggan, in her third year with the company, said EcoVerde had a composting plant in East Aurora but now is focused on this site in the Town of Alabama.

“We work with people, businesses and others in our local community to source our inputs, then make and sell quality soil amendments like compost,” she explained. “Our products improve soil to support plant growth with less chemical fertilizer and less nutrient run-off into waterways to protect our natural environment.

“We look forward to operating in Genesee County where we can support its goal of agricultural preservation.”

She said that a new food scraps law in New York State requires businesses and institutions that generate a certain amount of food scraps to donate usable food and to recycle what’s left.

“So, some of this is in preparation for that,” she said.

A former recycling sustainability coordinator and educator, Duggan developed the Lewiston Art Festival recycling and food waste composting program, and developed food waste collection and waste audit services for commercial customers.

Plans for the Alabama facility are to process source-separated organics, manure and yard waste (specifically food scraps), solid manure/bedding, select food processing waste and crop residue, and leaf and yard waste from municipalities and landscape professionals. Biosolids will not be accepted.

Duggan said activity won’t begin until after final approval from the Town of Alabama Planning Board, which was scheduled to meet this Monday, but has cancelled that session.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has granted EcoVerde approval to operate the compost facility, she said, limiting production to 7,500 cubic yards per year. She said customers will include farmers (organic and market), landscapers, gardeners and homeowners.

“We will start by bringing material into the plant, initially manure and yard waste, and since compost takes three months to make, we plan to start selling it in the spring,” Duggan added.

The planning board’s recommendation of approval is contingent upon EcoVerde obtaining a stormwater permit from the DEC if it disturbs more than one acre of land, and registering with the GLOW Solid Waste Management Committee and reporting the amount of material recovered by the facility to the GLOW Recycling Coordinator.

Planning Board member Tom Schubmehl also requested that Duggan reach out to leaders of the neighboring Tonawanda Seneca Nation to mitigate any odor or other issues caused by prevailing winds. She said that she would be agreeable to that.

In other action, the board recommended approval of:

• A special use permit to combine two parcels into one Commercial zone to accommodate New York Bus Sales’ new 20,000-plus-square foot school bus service/sales facility at the corner of West Saile Drive and Call Parkway in the Town of Batavia.

Lauren Rodriguez, civil engineer with LaBella Associates, said the facility will cover seven acres, with minimal security lighting and fencing.

One of the board’s concerns was that on-site lighting would not shine directly onto neighboring properties or cause a hazard for motorists.

The project application has been accepted by the Genesee County Economic Development Center,

• The addition of four storage units to the current seven at West Batavia Storage at 8550 Wortendyke Rd. in the Town of Batavia, with the on-site lighting stipulation.

• An area variance for Har-Go Farms in Pavilion to construct a 6,300-square foot barn addition in an Agricultural-Residential (AR-1) District.

Photo: Katy Duggan of EcoVerde Organics presents the company's site plan to Genesee County Planning Board members, clockwise from bottom, Laraine Catan, Planning Director Felipe Oltramari, Jill Gould, Richard Richmond II, Legislator John Deleo, Robert Bennett, Eric Biscaro, Tom Schubmehl, Deputy Director Erin Pence. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Previously: GCEDC board of directors accepts application for New York Bus Sales facility in Town of Batavia

The Genesee County Planning Board is expected to review the site plan for a compost production facility at 396 Wright Rd. in the Town of Alabama at tonight’s monthly meeting at County Building No. 2 on West Main Street Road, Batavia.

EcoVerde Organics, LLC, of Buffalo, is looking to operate the plant on a 27-acre parcel of land owned by Shawn Wilkins and William Eberhard, who reside in Akron and Clarence, respectively.

The location has an Akron mailing address but actually is in an Industrial District in the Town of Alabama.

According to documents submitted by EcoVerde Organics, the company will utilize approximately five acres to process source-separated organics, manure and yard waste, specifically food scraps, solid manure/bedding, select food processing waste and crop residue, and leaf and yard waste from municipalities and landscape professionals.

Biosolids will not be accepted.

Daytime hours of operation will vary depending upon the type of work involved, but the plant will be closed on Saturday and Sundays. The company anticipates developing regular collection routes and will accept source food scraps and manure from other haulers.

Company literature indicates its vision “is to reduce waste, reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, improve soil health and enhance the water quality of the Great Lakes basin.”

“To realize that vision, EVO will work with community stakeholders to locally source food scraps (SSO), manure, yard trimmings and other organic materials to create eco-friendly, tailored and tested composts for use in gardens, landscapes and farms, including applications requiring compost that meets organic-use specifications.”

County planning staff is recommending approval with the following modifications:

• If plans are made to disturb one acre or more of land as a result of the operation, the applicant completes a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and obtains a Stormwater Permit for Construction Activity from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) prior to that disturbance;

• Per County Source Separation Local Law, the applicant register with the GLOW Region Solid Waste Management Committee and report at least annually the tonnage of materials recovered by the facility to the GLOW Recycling Coordinator.

Other referrals on the agenda include a special use permit request by New York Bus Sales, LLC, for its proposed 20,000-plus-square foot school bus service/sales facility at the corner of West Saile Drive and Call Parkway in the Town of Batavia, a site plan review for new storage units at West Batavia Storage, review of the Village of Bergen’s new zoning law and a new battery energy storage local law in the Town of Elba.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 o’clock.

Photo, courtesy of Genesee County Planning Department: Aerial view of the propsed site for a compost facility on Wright Road in the Town of Alabama.