No one wants to witness the demise of West Marin Compost, the public-private partnership that reduces greenhouse gases and wildfire risk by transforming green waste into organic fertilizers and mulches. But there is disagreement about how to keep the financially struggling enterprise afloat.
At its most recent meeting, the Marin Resource Conservation District considered arguments about one proposed solution that was implemented without proper approvals: operating an electric saw to process some of the trees that arrive at the site into lumber.
Kevin Lunny, the Point Reyes rancher and businessman who operates the site, has said he is losing money on the compost project—in large part because the county pays a substantially below-market rate to leave green waste at the facility. Hoping to generate enough income to break even, he installed a small sawmill at the site last year and began selling lumber to local woodworkers and ranchers.
But a county code enforcement officer ordered West Marin Compost to shut the mill down last year. The R.C.D. board is debating whether it should ask the county to reconsider that decision.
West Marin Compost opened in 2012, after the R.C.D. formed its partnership with Mr. Lunny. The facility grinds green waste into wood chips and then mixes it with manure and other organic compounds at a nearby ranch. The resulting organic mulches and soil amendments, which trap carbon, are sold to West Marin farmers and gardeners.
At a meeting in Point Reyes Station on July 19, the board heard from environmentalists and green waste experts who argued that the mill is an eco-friendly way to advance the site’s environmental goals. But some members of the Nicasio Landowners Association who live just down the road from the facility raised concerns about noise, fire and safety risks.
Steve Lewis, a member of the Nicasio Landowners Association, said the board should review the compost business’s financial records before deciding its stance on the mill. It isn’t clear that the mill will generate enough profit to balance the books, he said.
“We’re all in the dark,” Mr. Lewis said. “There has been no data showing what actually is going to be the net if this mill is permitted to operate.”
According to a March 13 letter from Mr. Lunny to Marin County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni, the county is paying 10 to 15 times less than the market rate of $40 per cubic yard. Marin pays a $15,000 annual drop-off fee, regardless of how much green waste it processes.
Instead of operating the mill, Mr. Lewis suggested, Mr. Lunny and the county should consider renegotiating their contract on terms more favorable to the business. Much of the green waste left at the site comes from the county, which has increased efforts to remove potential wildfire accelerants from West Marin’s roadsides. Meanwhile, increasingly intense winter storms have resulted in far more fallen trees and branches brought to the facility.
“Simply put, W.M.C. is losing money because the county is not meeting the costs of addressing its ballooning green waste stream,” Mr. Lunny wrote to Supervisor Rodoni.
The supervisor did not respond to requests for comment.
Members of the landowner’s association also raised concerns about potential fire risk and safety hazards associated with the mill. But it was a noise complaint from a neighbor that prompted the county to shut the operation down in May 2022. While investigating the complaint, Gil Sanchez, a county code enforcement officer, determined that the site wasn’t zoned for processing lumber.
Mr. Lunny argues that the site wasn’t zoned for composting, either. But because it is located on county land, and the county serves as landlord, it could suspend the zoning regulations, as it did for the composting operation, and allow the milling operation to continue.
Mr. Lunny has acknowledged that he should have informed the R.C.D. board before installing the mill. But he believed milling lumber could generate some income and was consistent with the facility’s environmental goals.
Before installing the mill, Mr. Lunny asked the Marin County Public Works Department for permission to add new electrical service to the site. When the department approved the request, he said, he assumed he had permission to move ahead.
The department acknowledges that it approved the additional power but says that doing so was not tantamount to an approval of the mill.
Several speakers told the R.C.D. board that processing trees into lumber is a more effective way of capturing carbon than chipping wood. Among them was Jeff Creque, a University of California, Berkeley, technical consultant who has been an advisor to the composting project since its conception.
“The mill is actually an environmentally preferable strategy,” Mr. Creque said. “It’s a really good option for handling the increasing volumes of woody biomass coming to the site.”
When the green waste arriving at the site exceeds its composting capacity, the excess is transported to Woodland, where it is burned at as biofuel to create electricity. “Every load is money down the drain,” Mr. Creque said. “And it’s clearly not the optimal use from a greenhouse gas perspective.”
As for noise, Mr. Creque said, the woodchipper used at the composting facility is substantially louder than the mill, whose operation doesn’t interfere with nearby conversations.
Chad White, manager of the Marin Biomass Project, said a mill could make a useful contribution to containing greenhouse gases in the county. The project just completed the first chapter of study of ways to reduce the methane gases produced by green waste in Marin.
“Economically and in terms of greenhouse gas reduction, our initial findings support the idea of a sawmill in the county as an important part of the emerging biomass management system,” Mr. White said.
Although members of the Nicasio Landowners Association oppose the mill, they said they are strongly in favor of keeping the composting operation. And some Nicasio neighbors, speaking for themselves, spoke in favor of both.
Hauling trees to another site makes no sense, said Elizabeth Patterson, who lives close to the mill and contributes manure from her horse ranch to the operation. She said the noise from the nearby school is louder than the mill.
“The wood could be used in the community,” Ms. Patterson said. “It could be used for fence posts. It could used for repairs. There are so many things that could be done with local wood.”
After considering arguments on both sides, the R.C.D. board decided to gather more information before deciding about the mill. It also agreed to ask Mr. Lunny to share financial information and present a plan for dealing with fire and safety risks.
Sally Gale, the R.C.D. board chairwoman, said she will invite county supervisors and officials at the Community Development Agency to tour the site. “We’d like to try to bring people together so that everybody is satisfied with the outcome,” she said.