City Issues Requirements for Resumption of Mulch Operation

Communications Director

Kristin Farley
[email protected]
(865) 215-2589

400 Main St., Room 691
Knoxville, TN 37902

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City Issues Requirements for Resumption of Mulch Operation

Posted: 04/30/2012
 In the aftermath of the mulch fire earlier this month at Shamrock Organic Products, the City of Knoxville has issued a set of requirements the company must meet in order to resume business at its site on Ailor Avenue.

 In a Fire Code Inspection Report dated April 27, the Fire Marshal's Office outlined the steps that Shamrock owner Randy Greaves must take before restarting his mulch operation. In a letter, also dated April 27, City Public Service Director David Brace listed requirements Shamrock must meet before the City will resume delivering yard waste to the company under its contract with the City.

"This contract is an important part of our efforts to divert waste from our local landfills," Brace said. "But our primary concerns are for the safety of our community and our environment. We suspended delivery to Shamrock during the fire, and we will not take material there again until Mr. Greaves takes these steps to ensure that it can be stored and processed safely."

The Fire Marshal is requiring a comprehensive fire hazard analysis and fire protection plan from Shamrock.

Temporary restrictions, until Shamrock's fire protection plan is approved by the Fire Marshal, include but are not limited to the following:

No pile shall exceed a maximum of 25 feet in height, 200 feet in length, and 100 feet in width; Piles must be separated by at least 30 feet; There must be easy and safe access at all times for Fire Department and other emergency personnel; The property owner must have an employee on site at all times as a "fire watch."

In addition to the fire protection plan, before resuming delivery of material, the Public Works Department is requiring that Shamrock:

Develop a stormwater management plan and obtain coverage under the City's Special Pollution Abatement Permit; Test all remaining material on site to assure the City that it is safe for sale to the public and for use in residential settings; andEstablish safe and efficient access to the site for City equipment and personnel in the daily delivery of yard waste.

The City's review of the fire is ongoing.