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wide lead in establishing composting sites, but there are still expenses. <br /> Current Costs <br /> If we simply consider the cost of composting, those costs include the <br /> land, buildings, equipment and labor. Composting is a time consuming, <br /> labor intensive activity and cost estimates range from $50,000 per year <br /> (DCRPC report) to $20 per ton, which could translate into an actual <br /> expense of over $200,00 to $300,000. depending upon how many tons are <br /> collected. In addition, there are the costs associated with illegal dumping <br /> and possibly some political backlash costs as the whole notion of a land <br /> fill crisis has not yet been internalized by most folks who resent their <br /> habits being changed. Perhaps some of.these costs could be offset by <br /> selling the compost, but then a whole new set of problems are created and <br /> selling costs would be incurred which might make it easier to just give <br /> away the end product. Finally, an additional solution for dealing with yard <br /> wastes is to burn them for power generation, but most environmentalists <br /> do not see this as an ideal solution because ash is formed along with <br /> other residues which may have concentrated toxicity, and still need to be <br /> land filled. <br /> Fiber Farms. Inc. Proposal <br /> Fiber Farms proposes to completely eliminate both the economic and <br /> environmental costs of dealing with yard wastes by very simply accepting <br /> all such wastes and converting them into cattle feed. This would solve an <br /> additional problem in Dane County, in that there is an annual shortage of <br /> fodder (fibrous cattle feed) in excess of 50,000 tons which is imported at <br /> a cost in excess of$100 per ton or $5,000,000. per year. The end product <br /> which Fiber Farms would be producing would help to fill that demand. <br />