October 21, 2009 Airport Spared Compost

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By Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief

The FAA says an airport is a rotten place to put a composting facility, and Palo Alto, Calif. officials have grudgingly agreed. Last Monday, Palo Alto city council voted 6-3 to rethink plans to use four acres of airport land as a processing site for the area's kitchen scraps and lawn clippings. However, it wasn't until the FAA told council that the facility would run afoul of agreements regarding the federal money that has been spent at the airport over the years that the city decided to look for greener pastures. Local pilots had also rallied to fight the proposal.

Dozens of pilots were in council chambers to hear discussion and witness the vote, which doesn't actually kill the airport proposal but does make it seem unlikely. The pilots were especially concerned about the birds that would be attracted by the piles of rotting waste. Although the airport plan raised a ruckus, the next best alternative seems destined to cause just as much controversy: The compost could end up going on land designated for a park.