LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland leaders are considering whether the city could turn human waste into profit.
City commissioners voted to hire Tampa-based Geosyntec Consultants Inc. to do a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether Lakeland could profit from opening its own composting facility.
The facility would mix biosolids or treated human waste with yard waste and convert it into usable compost.
“Mix them over the course of several days. That will lead to pathogen destruction in that waste and end up with a material that’s a lot like topsoil to make a soil amendment,” said Robert Kniss, Lakeland Water Utilities Engineering Manager.
The city could then sell the nutrient-rich compost product to farmers. Currently, the city's biosolids are utilized as a low-grade fertilizer. When the waste does not meet Class AA standards, the city must pay to have it hauled to the landfill.
“There is a cost that we have to pay to dispose of the product even though it’s fertilizer. So, if we can break even or generate any kind of revenue and be a positive revenue source instead of a cost to us, that would be the goal,” said David Bayhan, Director of Lakeland Water Utilities.
Geosyntec will perform a six-month study to evaluate the feasibility, benefits, and potential market for the compost product. As part of the analysis, Lakeland Water Utilities staff will visit similar composting facilities in nearby municipalities.
"There are other facilities in the state of Florida. There is one in Lee County. They have been very successful for a number of years producing composting, generating a positive revenue source from the product. There's a facility in Hillsborough County as well,” Bayhan said.
The study will cost the city about $120,000.
In 2019, Jim Ficken was fined $30,000 for overgrown grass and his lawsuit brought national attention to Dunedin. In an I-Team follow through five years in the making, we'll show you how our reporting prompted change that ultimately brought closure to the legal battle.
