Billings Public Works CASE STUDY

The City of Billings Public Works Department put out an RFP in 2023 for the detailed design and provision of composting equipment for a new facility near their existing landfill. They wanted a pipe on grade system aerated static pile (ASP) with an ecology block push wall to keep costs low. Price, reliability, and industry experience were all important parts of their selection process in a competitive bidding process with other leading composting technology firms. They needed a composting system to treat separated biosolids from the municipal sewage systems, along with yard waste, to reduce the environmental and economic cost of landfilling these materials. The primary goal was to divert 3 to 6 truckloads of human biosolids waste every day from the Billings landfill to the composting facility. The city also has interest in creating capacity for composting food waste in the future.

GMT was selected for our longstanding experience and cost effective solutions. GMT provided the client with a single aeration blower that controlled the 9 zone composting pad. Each zone is connected to the centralized blower via galvanized ducting with air flow regulated to the zone with one of our specialized composting butterfly dampers. Each zone provides temperature feedback to GMT’s WebMACS control systems via two temperature probes. This data, along with pressure data obtained from in-line sensors, is logged and used to automatically determine aeration rates. GMT successfully delivered on the project schedule getting all equipment and submittals completed months prior to start up. Billings Public Works says composting is set to expand the lifespan of the landfill by as much as a decade, and it's a big step towards someday being able to accept food waste from residents and restaurants, something already happening in cities across the state. The project has two phases, with phase one handling up to 25,000 tons of compostable material annually, including up to 12,000 tons of yard waste.