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SLVEC tours the Elements Mountain Compost

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

11 September 2024


The San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council (SLVEC) aims to reduce solid waste by educating the community about the environmental benefits of compost in Colorado.

The SanLuis Valley Ecosystem Council's logo with iconic local landmarks, such as the Great Sand Dunes, Rio Grande, and Mt. Blanca.

In a piece of land across from the Salida airport, Julie Mach and her assistant

Rook Stavish is running a residential and commercial composting operation

called Elements Mountain Compost that services rural communities throughout Colorado.


They regularly collect compost from City Market, the school districts, and some local residential areas in Salida, Alamosa, Buena Vista, and Canyon City.


This September, the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council (SLVEC) toured the compost facility to learn more about how compost from the Alamosa City Market is processed.


A group of four people listens to the tour guide at a compost center, surrounded by different piles.
Rook Stavish guides the SLVEC group through the Elements Mountain Compost site. Credit: Isabel Lisle/SLVEC

Compost Process

Each week, Julie and Rook drove a trailer to Alamosa to collect the compost from the

City Market that serves the San Luis Valley. Once at the Salida site, the compost takes about three months to turn into soil.


  1. First, the compost pile is mixed with wood chips and covered with a tarp and turned twice a week.

  2. Next, it’s turned and mixed again as BPI-certified compostable products like cups, plates, and utensils begin to break down.

  3. After 2 months, plastic, fruit stickers, and other non-biodegradable materials that are not sorted correctly become apparent. The temperature of this compost pile got up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit during our visit due to the activity of microbes and other bacteria actively eating and breaking down the food within the pile.

  4. At 3 months, the compost is put into a sifter, and any of these non-compostable materials are sifted out of the pile.

  5. Then, the compost is ready to be distributed and sold as soil for gardeners and

    farmers across the state, where it’s used to nourish our fresh vegetables.


Tour Update

Both Julie and Rook explained why they are passionate about composting.


Rook shared that about ⅓ of what goes into our landfills is organic waste that could be composted. When organic waste goes to the landfill, it produces methane, a strong greenhouse gas that is eighty times more harmful than carbon emissions. So, in his mind, “composting just makes sense.” 


"If organic waste can be repurposed into something useful, like providing nutrient-rich soil for our arid Colorado landscapes, and reducing space in the landfill," Stavish said. "Then why aren’t we prioritizing composting more?"

Julie stated that, for her, composting is about raising awareness among individuals about the importance of waste diversion. She finds great meaning in educating people on the human component of where waste goes and its inherent value.


Julie’s vision for Elements Mountain Compost is to expand and create satellite operations in Alamosa, Buena Vista, Canyon City, and Leadville that can function as mini compost facilities in their own communities.



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