‘Artisan-scale’ composting popular: Environmental Management Commission considers alternatives to $10.5M composter

Mulch waste is piled up for distribution in April at the East Hawaii Organics Facility in the South Hilo Sanitary Landfill. Hawaii County’s “enhanced mulch” is extremely popular in East Hawaii while not as much in West Hawaii, requiring the county to truck it across the island. (HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald)

Cars drop off green waste at the County of Hawaii East Hawaii Organics Facility at the South Hilo Sanitary Landfill in April. Organizations are advocating a distributed network of community green waste and compost sites over the $10.5 million facility the county has contracted for. Kelsey Walling/Tribune-Herald

Green waste is dumped at Kealakehe Transfer Station in Kailua-Kona. When it comes to turning waste into compost, several members of the Environmental Management Commission indicated Wednesday after hearing from organizations advocating a distributed network of community sites over the $10.5 million facility the county has contracted for. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today file photo)

This may be one of those cases where bigger isn’t necessarily better, at least when it comes to turning waste into compost.