HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Marshall University is set to open the first commercial composting facility in West Virginia.
The last piece of equipment, a large commercial digester, is scheduled for delivery to the university in Huntington on Tuesday, Marshall said in a statement.
The facility was designed and will be operated by Marshall’s Sustainability Department. Marshall said it will have the daily capacity to compost 8 tons of organic waste such as food and lawn waste, white office paper and cardboard.
The facility will enable the university to reduce the amount of waste hauled to landfills while saving thousands of dollars each year in waste haul fees.
Students in Marshall’s specialty agriculture degree program will use the facility as an educational laboratory. It also will host community composting and agriculture workshops.
The finished compost will be branded as Herd Dirt and will be available for public sale at a later date.
