BERLIN TOWNSHIP ST

A. The uses or sites which accept yard waste and other organic matter for compensation, for the purpose of conducting yard waste commercial composting facilities and those that manage the biological decomposition of organic matter under controlled, aerobic conditions, may be permitted in the Heavy Industrial district only, subject to this issuance of a Special Land Use Permit by the Planning Commission and compliance with the following conditions and standards:

1. Only yard wastes shall be composted at such facilities, typically including leaves, grass clippings, brush, and tree or shrub trimmings.

2. The decomposition process shall be properly managed and maintained in an aerobic condition to prevent all unnecessary odors.

3. Ponded water shall not be permitted to collect on a yard waste composting site. A plan for collection, retention and drainage of storm water shall be provided for review and approval. The Planning Commission shall require that the plan provide a settling basin/detention pond and vegetation filtration of runoff prior to discharge off-site. Vegetation filtration shall be accomplished by use of a fifty (50) foot wide perimeter strip of grass, or a similar measure.

4. The operator shall provide sufficient equipment on-site to properly manage the composting process. At a minimum, this shall include a front end loader or similar machinery for loading, unloading, turning, and aeration operations; a shredder for reducing new material to a smaller particle size for faster decomposition; a source of water or watering trucks; and a screen to improve the quality and marketability of the final product.

5. The site shall be level and well-drained. If the site abuts property shown as residential on the Township Zoning Map or Master Plan, a buffer zone shall be maintained where no composting, storage, transfer or loading activities will take place equal to 500 feet from existing residences and 50 feet from adjoining property lines. All buffer areas shall be maintained as vegetative strips to facilitate the filtration of pollutants.

6. All site access roads or drives and all areas for employee parking shall be paved with asphalt or concrete.

7. The volume of yard wastes handled by the facility shall not exceed 5,000 cubic yards of incoming yard wastes per acre of active composting area on-site, exclusive of access roads, service areas, parking areas, required buffer zones, and similar areas.

8. The operator shall provide a name, address, and phone number of the person responsible for operation of the site and who is also responsible for correcting all operational problems that may result in complaints being made to the Township.

9. The operator understands and agrees that failure to maintain and operate the site in a responsible manner that minimizes the potential for adverse impacts on neighboring properties shall constitute grounds for revocation of the permit by the Planning Commission.

10. Access to the site shall be controlled to prevent unauthorized dumping during nonbusiness hours. The operator shall establish a procedure and mechanism for proper disposal of non-yard wastes at an approved sanitary landfill.

11. Treated yard wastes shall be actively rotated, that is, they shall not be allowed to accumulate for longer than three (3) years before being finished and removed from the site.

12. The operator shall provide plans showing all equipment maintenance and storage areas. Plans shall show the location of all fuel storage facilities and shall detail primary and secondary containment for all hazardous materials, including producttight containers for primary containment.

13. The operator shall submit a bond, in an amount established by resolution of the Township Board, to guarantee restoration in the event of abandonment, clean-up of chemical or other hazardous spills, and the like.

14. An annual inspection/permit fee for all yard waste composting facilities shall be established by resolution of the Township Board.

15. Copies of all Michigan Department Natural Resources and Environment applications/permits, where required, shall be provided to the Planning Commission as part of the application package.

16. A semi-annual inspection for rodents shall be performed by a license pest control company. Copies of the report shall be transmitted to the Township. If rodents are detected, appropriate measures shall be taken to capture or exterminate the rodents in an environmentally safe manner.

17. A semi-annual test shall be performed, at the owner's expense, to insure that on site soils and surface waters leaving the site are not contaminated by a concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, phenols, pesticides and/or herbicides. Soil samples shall be taken from the windrow area and the settling basin/detention pond and surface water samples shall be taken at the outlet from the detention pond. Tests shall be performed for concentrations of listed substances adopted by resolution of the Township Board.