The city of River Falls, Wisconsin used to have a thriving community compost site that caters to its residents, providing a convenient location for the disposal of yard waste, including leaves and branches. Initially, the site was open for all city residents to use and this worked seamlessly due to a company’s free collection of compost material for a central heating/energy plant in St. Paul, Minnesota. However, a devastating insect infestation sweeping through Minnesota is killing off ash trees, resulting in a surplus of dead trees throughout the area. As the heating plant can now access closer sources for the material, the River Falls compost site is no longer needed. The city now has to pay to grind and dispose of their waste and this is projected to cost upwards of $75,000 a year.
In response to the increased costs, the city of River Falls has made several adjustments. They have limited the hours for debris collection, and an attendant has been employed to ensure only residents and employees of River Falls Municipal Utilities can access the site. Not surprisingly, the community is displeased with the current compost site changes. In addition, the land that the site is on is expected to be developed for the future and will no longer be available for use as a compost site.
In order to come up with a solution to the current compost site problem, the city of River Falls is looking for a business plan to relocate the community compost site to another city property. The business plan will include an analysis of current considerations such as demand, expenses, and location in addition to recommendations for the future site including proposed rates, expected revenue, and overall recommendations for the best way to operate a new compost site.
UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu