Dive summary:

• Composting was terminated at the Billy Wright Landfill outside of Los Banos, Calif. due to cost issues six months ago and while customers are still paying for the service, the green waste is being composted.
• The owners of the landfill say they just can’t keep up with the price of composting anymore and the issue has been in limbo ever since.
• It is estimated that the Merced County Regional Waste Management Authority collects over 600 tons of green waste material; not all of it will end up in the trash as long as the other landfill in the county keeps composting.

From the article:

Lawrie said industrial processes like mulching and composting create volatile organic compounds, like nitrates, that need to be kept from ground and surface water. Keeping Billy Wright compliant with state regulations is too expensive for such a small landfill, Lawrie said. The Highway 59 Landfill is four times the size of Billy Wright.

Lawrie also added that "equipment for composting is extremely expensive."

A composting grinder is roughly $500,000, he said, and a trommel screen used for sorting is an estimated $320,000. ...