The Crete City Council has postponed any decisions about a proposed commercial composting operation that would divert pet food byproducts from a Milford landfill until the city gets more information.
Tuesday, the council deferred any action on the proposed composting facility until at least the next meeting, Nov. 6, and agreed to contract with Olsson for research on the proposed operation, said Crete city manager Tom Ourada.
Based on research so far, the council "had more questions than answers," according to Ourada.
Crete Core Ingredients, which provides meat products to pet food manufacturers, will be using an "aerated static pile" composting method that hasn't been used for heavy meat byproducts, Ourada said.
The city wants to make sure the composting method will "be workable and applicable for what the company is proposing to do," he said.
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"Some resistance is starting to form to this and the council wants to make sure they are going to make the most informed decision they can," he said.
The council will have three separate decisions related to the Crete Core Ingredients proposal to start a composting operation on 10 acres of its land.
The composting facility is within 2 miles of the city limits, so it falls under council jurisdiction.
The council would have to amend zoning rules to allow a commercial composting operation on industrial zoned land.
The council would also have to issue a special permit to allow the business to operate the composting facility and would have to approve the site so the company can begin a permitting process with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.