South Lake Tahoe Businesses, School Take Compost Pile to New Level

A handful of local businesses — and a South Shore school — are taking South Lake Tahoe food waste management to the next level, and hope to close the recycling circle by spring.

Composting isn't new to the South Shore. David Hansen, engineering director at Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel and & Ski Resort, spearheaded the program in 2008 when the hotel challenged him to find ways to cut costs. Hansen began loading up the hotel's food waste in his truck and transporting it to Full Circle Compost Inc. in Minden, Nev., as part of a larger sustainability program.

When South Lake Tahoe Sustainability Consultant Garry Bowen realized the initiative's potential to grow, he helped bring the Fire + Ice Restaurant & Bar and Aramark Parks and Destinations, which manages Zephyr Cove Resort & Marina, on board.

They've recycled about 100 tons of food waste in three years, Bowen said, and now Compost Tahoe is moving into phase two — involving more local businesses.

“We wanted to start it at a local level and get more people involved. What it took was businesses finally saying yes. What got it rolling was the community's willingness. There's a real need for it,” co-chairwoman of the Lake Tahoe Sustainability Collaborative's Human Health and Social Well-Being workgroup Hannah Greenstreet said...

http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20121218/ARCHIVES01/121219860