May 28 2025, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – Grupo Puntacana recently began operations of a new on-site, large-scale composting system that will process food waste from the community’s 2000+ residences, multiple hotels, golf courses, restaurants and the country’s largest international airport.
The Earth Flow composting system is automated & enclosed to capture odors and rapidly transform food waste and other feedstocks like yard waste into valuable compost products that will be used on the resort grounds and gardens. Annual processing capacity for the Earth Flow composting system is planned to range between 1400 to 3000 metric tons per year, significantly reducing the environmental and economic costs of hauling food waste to a landfill.
“Grupo Puntacana has a long history of investing in environmental sustainability for our resort, but this new Earth Flow composting system is a major evolution in our commitment to becoming a Zero Waste community,” said Jake Kheel, Vice President of Sustainability for Grupo Puntacana. “This is the first major resort in the Dominican Republic to be fully committed to composting our food waste and yard waste on site, eliminating all the environmental and financial costs of transporting this waste to the landfill.”
On-site composting of food waste on a resort property is challenging with conventional methods, because of odors, space requirements and operational concerns. The Earth Flow composting system is unique in that the composting process is fully enclosed and automated.
The composting material is aerated through special channels in the floor, while an industrial stainless-steel auger continually mixes the material. Proper oxygen levels are maintained at all times to speed up the composting process and minimize odors. Exhaust air from the system is vented into a simple biofilter to capture any remaining odors.
“We hope to achieve a total landfill diversion rate of 70-80% between the Earth Flow, our waste valorization facility (CENVAREE), and efforts throughout the resort to reduce waste,’ said Kheel. “The Earth Flow is part of a larger, more holistic program. We can now operate compost at the scale of our resort, while allowing us to potentially offer waste valorization as a service to other resorts.”
Food waste and shredded yard waste are simply loaded into one end of the system, and “ready to cure” compost is periodically unloaded out of the other end. Material is typically processed in the Earth Flow for two to three weeks, followed by a 6-week curing period before it is ready to be used in agriculture and landscaping.
“This has been one of the most interesting projects I’ve ever worked on,” said Van Calvez, Project Manager and Engineer from Green Mountain Technologies. “Grupo Puntacana’s commitment to sustainability has been inspiring to me, and I think this will inspire many others as well.”
The Site Built Earth Flow 7012 composting facility was custom designed to enable growth over time. Secondary bays next to the primary Earth Flow bay can be used for storage of finished compost & wood chips, or these bays can be used as secondary aeration for the composting process. Aeration infrastructure is built into the floors of the Earth Flow bay and the secondary bays. Aeration systems and Earth Flow mixing programs are adjustable through the control system.
About Grupo Puntacana: Grupo Puntacana (GPC) is a pioneer in sustainable tourism development in the Dominican Republic. Since its beginnings in 1969, GPC has maintained a firm commitment to environmental conservation, economic growth, and supporting the well-being of the local community. Over the years, GPC has built a reputation as leaders in responsible tourism, becoming a global benchmark.
About Green Mountain Technologies: Green Mountain Technologies has been designing and building innovative composting solutions since 1992. Our growing global client-base includes large commercial composting facilities, small scale community organizations, and institutions of all types. We're proud to give back 10% of our profits to not-for-profit community and environmental organizations. Learn more at www.compostingtechnology.com.
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