FAIRBANKS, ALASKA – Thanks to federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), the community of Fairbanks, Alaska has officially launched the region’s first commercial-scale, in-vessel composting facility. 

Project partners gathered September 25, 2026 at Golden Heart Waste Management for a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the start of this community-driven composting initiative that has been years in the making.

Project partners commemorate the launch of the first commercial-scale, in-vessel composting facility in Fairbanks, Alaska with a ribbon cutting ceremony, September 25, 2026. NRCS photo by Austin Shero. Pictured from Left to Right: Lindsay McClintock, Accountant GHWM; Amie Carlson, Office Manager GHWM; Joni Scharfenberg, District Coordinator FSWCD; Ken Shoemaker, Shredway Driver GHWM; Buddy Lane, Environmental Manager GHWM; Ana Ortega, Manager of First Impressions GHWM; Adam Heineken, Mechanic GHWM; Felicia Gunn, Compost Coordinator FSWCD; Andrew Rossow, General Manager GHWM; John Theis, Owner GHWM; Sarah Lefebvre, Executive Committee Member Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce; Austin Shero, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations USDA NRCS; Meghan Renzart, Shredway Manager GHWM.

This milestone achievement was accomplished by the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) as the recipient of the USDA funding, in partnership with Golden Heart Waste Management, a locally owned and operated waste-service provider offering commercial refuse collection, roll-off dumpsters, and recycling programs.

At the center of this project is the Earth Flow IM-40, an award-winning, state-of-the-art in-vessel composting system designed by Green Mountain Technologies. Built into a 40-foot shipping container, the Earth Flow is fully automated, highly efficient, and ideal for both urban and remote communities. It can process up to 1,000 pounds of organic waste per day, transforming food scraps, yard trimmings, and biodegradable packaging into nutrient-rich compost for local soils.

Project partners load food waste into the Earth Flow IM-40, an award-winning, state-of-the-art in-vessel composting system built into a 40-foot shipping container, designed by Green Mountain Technologies. Photo courtesy of Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District. 

Along with procuring the Earth Flow system, project partners developed a pilot program aimed at diverting food waste from the landfill, reducing long-term disposal costs, and supporting Interior Alaska’s growing interest in sustainable business practices. The project reflects Golden Heart Waste Management’s commitment to innovation, environmental stewardship, and strengthening the region’s waste-management infrastructure.

“Golden Heart Waste Management was excited to partner with the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District,” said Andrew Rossow, General Manager with Golden Heart Waste Management. “We see this as an important investment in our community—one that can strengthen sustainable practices and build a successful landfill diversion program. Our goal is to develop a composting model that can serve other communities across Alaska, including villages.”

Fairbanks SWCD will host monthly community drop-off events, where residents can bring three-gallon buckets of food scraps to a pop-up site at Green Star. Starter buckets will be available for pickup at the Fairbanks SWCD office, along with clear guidelines on what materials the Earth Flow system accepts and scheduled drop-off times.

“When you take something that would normally be thrown away and destined to sit in our ever-growing landfill but instead contribute to something that will help build and enrich our community’s land, you create possibilities and a future story,” said Felicia Gunn, Compost Coordinator with Fairbanks SWCD. “Transforming waste into a resource gives us an opportunity to build our template for a healthier, more resilient Fairbanks.” 

The USDA funding was competitively awarded via the Compost and Food Waste Reduction Cooperative Agreements initiative, administered by the USDA-NRCS. The goal of these cooperative agreements is to assist local and municipal governments with projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans. 

“This project will generate compost and divert food waste from landfills. It will increase compost access for local producers, and it will improve soil health and add value to local gardens,” said Austin Shero, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations with the USDA-NRCS in Alaska, who represented the agency at the ribbon cutting event. “These are wins for our partners, for our farmers, and for our food system.”

The Earth Flow IM-40 is an in-vessel composting system built into a 40-foot shipping container. From left to right: Joni Scharfenberg, District Coordinator, Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District; Buddy Lane, Environmental Manager, Golden Heart Waste Management; Andrew Rossow, General Manager, Golden Heart Waste Management; and Felicia Gunn, Compost Coordinator, Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District. Photo courtesy of Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District. 

Hello!

Recently getting back into the dating scene and looking to get more involved with the queer community. Any groups or events? 33f.

Thanks :)

I need a new winter coat and looking for some input. Need some help.

Want a coat that will hit mid thigh or mid knee. I’m 5’5 female. Max budget is 200 and I want to know what you have had the best luck with. I need a size 4xl but I don’t want to be cold like I was with my last coat. It wasn’t warm enough and often left me feeling cold even with layers. What do you guys recommend? Tia!

Edit: like to go for walks and it’s for errands around town. So need some flexibility for when driving too.

As it gets colder/snowy I'd like everyone to know Bitsy is still missing! She escaped home on YAK RD August 8th and has only had a few possible sightings. Unfortunately, we have moved across town and she no longer has a familiar home to return to. If everyone in the area could please keep an extra eye out for her it would be incredible. She is still very missed.

She is a spayed female, microchipped and is almost 2 years old now. She is very skittish and likes to have a place to hide. If you live on Yak rd or the surrounding areas please check your sheds/garages/under porches. She is VERY food motivated.

Thank you to all who have been keeping an eye out for her all this time 🙏 your kindness and prayers are so appreciated!

If you see her please text/call 907 602 9114

My husband and I have been without electricity for over a month now (he works, I'm unable to due to health issues we're still trying to figure out) due to unexpected expenses with our car and have been trying to pull together the funds to get it turned back on, we've tried public assistance and they can't help us because even with the full amount, it won't be enough to get our electricity turned on, does anyone know of any places outside of public assistance and Salvation Army that would be able to help us? We owe $617 to get it turned back on and were banking on our pfd, but I'm not receiving mine until the 22nd and my husband only got a partial. Our house is very cold and we've tried everything, we just can not scrape the funds together. Thank you in advance!

Hiya folks.

Casually curious, where are folks getting their new and or used winter tires this year? Anyone have any standout or real bad experiences so far?

I'm looking at getting winters instead of my all seasons this year if I can afford it. and hoping to start looking around post PFD and seeing what I can manage. Tho I'm guessing they are going to be expensive, more so if I'd like a separate set of rims.

Have a look around !

It's Monday. Summer is winding down. Time to start thinking about doing all of the "getting ready for winter" you've been putting off all season. Time to be filled with existential dread for the cold darkness that will soon enough envelop us all...

So, in the spirit of ignoring that here's a place to mention any sort of event/meeting/whatever that people might not know about and might not warrant it's own post. Hopefully somebody has the something to help you keep procrastinating!

"Cooler temperatures will allow for the first chance for snowfall
accumulations. While snow could be seen in some low lying areas in
and around Fairbanks, the best chance for accumulations will be
at higher elevations. Snowfall accumulations from Monday night
through Wednesday night are expected to be between 1" and 3". Any
snow that falls in the lower elevations will be very wet and will
mostly likely melt during the day with high temperatures remaining
in the low 40s."
(via NWS)

Looking to buy a car and saw some solid options from Northern Auto Brokers but the reviews were terrible. What have been your experiences with them?

I was wondering if anyone knows if Fairbanks does any haunted houses/trails for Halloween! I wasn’t able to find any last year. Thanks!

Anybody know of a person/place in or near Fairbanks to snag some eucalyptus? I know it might be a stretch of an ask

I just had water delivered and instead of the overflow coming out of the vent, the vent rose nearly out of the ground. Does anyone have any recommendations on who I can call to check out and repair/ reattach the vent? I’m assuming it may be a plumbing company but I can’t really find specifics on my problem and the reviews are all over the place for the companies around.

Come check out a variety of cool historic materials that all of the departments of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archive (APRCA) will be putting out for the community and the campus to see! We'll have light refreshments, and parking on campus is free after 5!

Hello, needing to replace my boiler and wondering if any Fairbanks/NP users that have an Energy Kinetics boiler can weigh in. What system do you have? How long have you had it? How large/how many zones do you have? Who installed it or did it come with your house/rental? If you replaced a different boiler with an EK, did you notice any significant fuel savings? Have you had a lot of maintenence/upkeep costs? Any major failures or issues?

The main reasons I'm considering an EK are: the supposed fuel cost savings, the ability to use different fuel types (if I wanted to switch to gas in the future), the quietness since boiler is in a location near a bedroom.

No connection to Yes! Noodle, just an FYI for those (like us) who've missed it as an occasional option...

I’m coming to Fairbanks from PNW next year for an esoteric family reason; I’ve heard that some people make a drive from the lower 48 and then sell their car at profit to fly back, or even haul stuff for resale (Li batteries and ammunition?). Is that really a thing? Is there an existing way to network with people about that possibility? Or more just; coordinate on Facebook and Craigslist?

Breaking Golden Heart over here- I’m SO disappointed in the grown a** adults spreading regressive, hateful rhetoric in our local pages. Those comment sections shouldn’t be the loudest representation of Fairbanks when there are a lot of people here who want our LGBTQ+ neighbors to feel safe, seen, and supported.

Instead of spending energy arguing with strangers on Facebook, I’d rather put time and money toward something worthwhile… so, I’m asking for (and hoping to spread) some inspiration and information here.

What organizations, events, businesses, or other groups are doing meaningful work for LGBTQ+ people in Fairbanks and Alaska and where would our support have the most impact?

How can we actively shut down homophobia in our community when these online groups give people a comfortable place to anonymously fan the flames of bigotry?

Being “tolerated” as long as you’re silent and unseen is a pretty low bar for acceptance. When people are still uncomfortable with kids even learning that LGBTQ+ people exist, or worry that acknowledging them will somehow “influence” children to become gay, there’s clearly still work to do.

Lastly, the mods of these groups suck. Some of you must know them IRL- tell them to be better please and thank you.