Getting Their Hands Dirty for the Environment

Art Babbott feels good. For at least two decades, he’s been mulling over the challenge of what to do with low-value forest products – branches and woody biomass – left over from thinning projects designed to improve forest health and protect the Flagstaff community from wildfire. Today, Babbott and business partners David Hayward and Chris Lloyd are confident they have solved a small piece of the forest restoration puzzle with their new business, Restoration Soils, which also can keep much of Flagstaff’s organic and food waste stream out of the landfill by transforming it into a high-value compost and sending it back out to the landscape.

“We believe we have important environmental problems to solve,” said Babbott. “We have methane gas being generated by all the organic and food waste going into the landfill. We have huge forest restoration efforts that need to find markets for low-value biomass. We feel a private sector partner can transform these organic waste problems and turn them into high-value compost, nutrient-rich topsoil, mulches and other useful products.”

Restoration Soils started on the ground in east Flagstaff last spring. “It’s taken a year and a half to get through the rezoning process,” said Hayward. “Now, our project has put the first heavy industrial-zoned land on the books in Flagstaff in many years. This is a ‘green’ business, but it doesn’t mean the loaders and chippers we use aren’t noisy. We have to get our hands dirty. We need places to be able to process the material if we are to have a hope to solve our waste stream and biomass issues.”

Restoration Soils also is using material from flood mitigation projects and turning it into landscaping products. “We’re creating these products out of soil from not just any old place, it’s from local sustainability efforts. We’re using that material and turning it full circle into value-added landscape products to be incorporated back into our environment,” said Hayward. “That’s the part of the business that makes it more than just how much money you can put in the bank. We can all be pretty passionate about it.”

“Chris and I met about 18 years ago at Altitudes Bar and Grill and talked about a commercial and industrial composting facility. The three of us then engaged in a conversation about four years ago and it became clear and apparent that this facility would serve a really important function. It’s a big missing link in this community – bringing forward a zoned and permitted facility where well-managed industrial composting can occur. It allows us to do the things we need to do as a community to build a more circular economy,” said Babbott. “We are now producing a product that is generated, processed and delivered in Flagstaff and made from Flagstaff’s waste stream. We just needed a place to do it.”

Restoration Soils made a successful pitch as a startup business to the City of Flagstaff “Innovate Waste” program and was awarded $20,000 for waste recycling. “We feel, in a very short period of time, we’ve moved the needle,” said Babbott. “We are looking for our first part-time employee, we have a full yard and great partners for green heavy industrial reuse, recycling abilities.”

“This ability to process organic waste serves so many climate objectives – waste stream diversion, fire mitigation efforts, flood mitigation efforts, forest restoration efforts – we’ve got so many positive outputs because we finally have a place to do this important work here in Flagstaff,” said Babbott.

Currently, commercial contractors are buying material from Restoration Soils by the dump truck. Smaller loads can be scheduled through the website. The company expects to create a retail product as well.

Meanwhile, Restoration Soils recently launched its residential and commercial food waste and compost pickup side of the business, contracting with restaurants, and with individuals who want to see their organic waste turned into a productive product. “This is an important piece of the business,” said Babbott. “If we want a waste stream that looks different, we have to process our waste differently.”

Individuals can sign up on the website to have a bin of organic waste picked up at their house twice a month for $17 per month. Restoration Soils will reward those clients with 50 pounds of compost per year. Also, organic waste drop-off hubs are now in place at the Flagstaff Family Food Center, different neighborhoods and other locations around town.

Another component of the business is the creation of “Zero Waste Events.” Restoration Soils will work with event planners to remove all food waste and compostable products with the goal of nothing going to the landfill. One of the first Zero Waste Events is Mountain Sports’ 50th Anniversary – A Zero Waste Celebration, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3, at the Orpheum Theater. FBN

By Bonnie Stevens, FBN

Restoration Soils is located on El Paso Drive near Picture Canyon. For more information, visit www.restorationsoils.com.

Courtesy Photo: Art Babbott, David Hayward and Chris Lloyd are keeping material out of the landfill by turning Flagstaff’s organic and food waste into high-value soil, compost and mulch through their business, Restoration Soils.