Thursday, October 1, 2026
WENATCHEE — When Ward Media first covered industrial symbiosis in September, the idea was still gaining local traction. The premise was simple: Much of what we throw away is not waste at all but a resource another business can use. The question then was whether the Wenatchee Valley could build an economy that keeps those resources circulating close to home.
Even closer to the sentiment of this valley, if conservation is important, conservation of money has an equal place among the priorities of residents here. Industrial symbiosis could be not just good for the planet, but good for your pocketbook.
Three months later, the region is edging toward that possibility. More organizations are stepping into the conversation, the examples are clearer, and the framework is beginning to feel less theoretical.
A representative from Winton Manufacturing Compost Works attended December’s industrial symbiosis workshop at the Wenatchee Convention Center, signaling that companies already involved in circular practices want to be part of whatever emerges next. Winton collects food scraps and organic byproducts from local homes, restaurants, and farms, and turns them into compost and soil amendments used throughout the valley. Their model captures value that would otherwise be lost to the landfill, and it demonstrates that reuse systems can work at both small and regional scales.
That on-the-ground activity helped set the stage for the workshop, convened by Our Valley, Our Future and the City of Wenatchee’s utilities division. Representatives from agriculture, wastewater, sustainability nonprofits, higher education, and the Port gathered to discuss what a fully coordinated network could look like and what steps might come next.
Much of the workshop centered on lessons from Kalundborg, Denmark, often described as the world’s best example of industrial symbiosis. Kalundborg is a community of about 17,000 people, a population similar to East Wenatchee, yet companies there have spent more than 50 years exchanging heat, water, steam, ash, gypsum, and other byproducts. Material that once went to waste now serves as an input for neighboring facilities.
The result is a local economy that uses less energy, wastes fewer resources, and supports more stable jobs. It is the type of model that workshop presenters believe could translate to North Central Washington.
“You are uniquely positioned for this kind of work,” said Rhys Roth, executive director of the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure. He pointed to the close clustering of agriculture, food and beverage production, wastewater treatment, energy generation, and industrial users in the Wenatchee Valley. Few regions, he said, have such compatible resource streams located so close together.
One of the most memorable ideas of the day came from Jim White, the senior energy efficiency engineer with the Chelan County PUD. He urged the group to think of the region’s signature crop as part of a circular system. White described a pathway to carbon-negative apples, where orchard trimmings and wood waste are turned into biochar and added back into orchard soils. The material locks carbon in the ground and improves soil performance.
White noted that some cities, including Minneapolis, already operate municipal biochar programs and that NCW’s agricultural footprint makes it an ideal candidate for a similar effort.
Workshop participants reviewed seven project areas that could form the building blocks of an industrial symbiosis network. Among the concepts:
Localize Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Supply
Brewers and cideries currently truck in CO2 from as far as Texas and Canada. Meanwhile, biogas produced at the Wenatchee Wastewater Treatment Plant contains carbon dioxide that could be captured and purified locally. A regional supply could reduce both costs and emissions.
Regional Organics Conversion Konsortium (ROCK)
Participants expressed interest in creating a coordinated system for food scraps, orchard waste, winery pomace, and other organic materials. The idea builds on what companies like Winton Manufacturing already practice.
Convert Biogas to Heat and Power
The wastewater plant now burns excess biogas and releases heat into the river. Converting that heat and gas into usable power, hot water, or process steam could help nearby industries and reduce environmental impacts.
Solid Waste Material Trade Network
Sometimes called a “Craigslist for waste,” this would match businesses that generate leftover materials with businesses that can use them, such as farmers interested in spent grain or landscapers seeking clean fill soil.
Internal Resource Optimization
Some businesses already reduce water use, capture heat, or reuse materials. Others could adopt similar methods with technical support.
Thermal Energy District
Cities elsewhere heat entire buildings using sewer-heat recovery. The Wenatchee Valley’s infrastructure layout may allow similar pilot projects.
Resource Recovery Facility
Participants pointed to a new plant in Pasco that turns industrial wastewater into irrigation water, methane, and fertilizer. Its model could be adapted to NCW’s mix of industries.
The meeting closed with agreement to form subgroups that will study the project areas in more detail, build partner lists, and identify grant opportunities. State funding is already available through the Department of Commerce’s Industrial Symbiosis Program, and several NCW agencies plan to apply this winter.
Participants also stressed the need for broad valley-wide involvement. Representatives from Chelan, Cashmere, East Wenatchee, and the agricultural and craft-beverage sectors were identified as important future partners.
If September’s reporting raised the idea, December’s workshop gave it shape. The Wenatchee Valley already produces a steady stream of heat, organic material, biogas, packaging, and agricultural byproducts. With coordination, many of those materials could become inputs for new products and new jobs.
The central insight from Denmark still resonates: Communities that treat waste as a resource tend to keep more of their value at home. The question now is how far the Wenatchee Valley wants to take that opportunity.
Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media
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