Are you looking around your garage at hard to remove waste piling up, such as paint or old electronics? Have you considered a wildfire mitigation project but aren’t sure what to do with the resulting slash? A one-stop solution is coming to Douglas County.

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a construction contract for the County’s new biochar and recycling facility in Sedalia, marking a major step forward in a project designed to improve wildfire mitigation and expand waste removal services, while saving taxpayers more than $420,000 annually.

At a Business Meeting on April 28, Commissioners approved a contract with Bauen Studios totaling $7.88 million for construction of the biochar building, product storage structure, utilities, site improvements and infrastructure that will also support future recycling and public drop-off programs.

“Being the first county biochar facility in the country means DougCo can now turn trash into treasure and the liability of dead timber into a multipurpose asset which saves water and removes forever chemicals from it,” said Commissioner Abe Laydon. “This project helps us reduce wildfire risk, conserve water, make recycling and waste disposal more convenient, and create long-term value for taxpayers.”

Expanding wildfire mitigation

The facility will house biochar production equipment previously approved and purchased by the County in 2025. Once operational, the facility will provide a local destination for woody debris from wildfire mitigation projects that is currently expensive to haul to areas outside Douglas County.

Lower disposal costs, combined with revenue generated through biochar sales, will help Douglas County reinvest in additional forest health work and expand wildfire mitigation efforts across more acres.

What is biochar?

Biochar is a charcoal-like material created by heating organic material in a low-oxygen environment through a process called pyrolysis. It can be used to improve soil health, conserve water, support land restoration and filter pollutants.

Long-term financial return

Full capital recovery is expected to be completed in under a decade. Biochar production will begin in January 2027 with one biochar production unit, resulting in an annual capital recovery of $400,000. Once the second production unit is in place in 2029, recovery will accelerate to $1.9 million per year.

GreenWorks: Better services at lower costs

Rather than focusing the site only on one waste need, the County has advanced a broader site concept that will not only process slash from wildfire mitigation projects but also serve as a centralized location for multiple resident drop-off and recycling services.

This broader service model is now referred to as GreenWorks, with the biochar facility serving as one component of the overall site.

By combining these services under one umbrella, residents will gain expanded access to a variety of waste disposal opportunities:

1. Slash and green waste disposal services will expand from one to six days per week (increasing from 30 days each year to roughly 300 days annually).
2. Leaf drop-off will become year-round.
3. Electronics recycling will move closer to residents, eliminating more than 400,000 miles of annual travel.
4. Hazardous household waste capacity will expand by removing the current yearly cap.

A phased rollout of GreenWorks services is planned this year:

1. May 2026: Slash and green waste operations expand from one to six days per week
2. July 2026: Electronics recycling drop-off opens
3. August 2026: Household hazardous waste disposal opens
4. September 2026: Biochar facility begins accepting feedstock

Visit our Biochar and Waste Diversion Facility webpage for more information and project updates.