On Wednesday, the Blue Earth County Planning and Zoning Commission gave its approval for a rural Good Thunder Organic Compost Facility to resume operations, despite ongoing complaints from neighbors about serious odor problems that have plagued the facility.
Kip Bruender, who is a County Commissioner and a member of the Planning and Zoning Board, noted that when the MFS Composting Facility was approved in 2012 it operated without complaints, but got progressively worse as operations changed. Bruender hopes a variety of changes to the way the facility will be run will work.
The project being sought by Gary, Kevin and David Fitzsimmons will now go to the County Board. If approved there, MFS will seek necessary state permits.
The facility hasn’t accepted food waste since 2019 but has continued to process piles of compost that were on the site.
MFS recycling is also seeking to recycle cardboard boxes that waste food might deliver in, such as from large bakeries that have old bread that is in boxes.
MFS also plans to work with Ag Solutions of Mapleton to create a product called Living Carbon. Ag Solutions would bring gypsum, calcite and dairy compost, to blend with MFS compost to create living carbon, a natural soil amendment that would be sold for use on farmland.