Sustainable Generation: Composting Systems, Services and Costs

What is Sustainable Generation?

Sustainable Generation is a company that supplies the equipment, software and know-how to run a commercial composting facility. It does not collect food scraps or sell bagged compost to the public. Its customers are the organizations that run compost sites: cities and counties, waste haulers, wastewater treatment plants, landfill operators, farms and private composters.

Its product is a method its site calls SG ADVANCED COMPOSTING™ Technology: a large pile on an aeration floor, under a breathable membrane (the GORE® Cover), fed air by a computer-controlled blower. The industry name is a covered aerated static pile, or CASP. The company's pitch is that this gives the process control of an enclosed "in-vessel" system without the cost of a building and biofilter.

The business has two sides: technology (three system layouts, solar power and monitoring software) and services (feasibility, grants, permitting help, design, pilots, training and long-term support).

The company says its team has "over 200 years of combined industry experience" and that it has helped "dozens of public and private waste services entities" reduce the cost and complexity of composting. Those are its own figures.

Is Sustainable Generation legit?

People ask this before they put a vendor on a shortlist or an RFP. Here is what can be checked from public pages:

• A named company, address and phone line. The site footer identifies the business as Sustainable Generation, LLC. Its contact page lists 2877 20th Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713, a toll-free number (1-866-204-0165) and info@sustainable-generation.com.
• Named leadership. The team page names eight people with titles, led by founder and CEO Scott Woods (details below).
• Named public-sector projects. The project profiles describe installations for public bodies you can contact yourself, including the New York City Department of Sanitation's Staten Island Compost Facility, the Prince George's County, Maryland organics composting facility, the City of Florence, Oregon wastewater plant, and Santa Barbara County's site in Goleta, California.
• Named customer references. The testimonials page quotes Justin Green (Executive Director and Founder, Big Reuse), Jonathan Kalpakoff (VP, Mid Valley Disposal) and Mike Miller (Public Works Director, City of Florence, Oregon).
• A known technology partner. The GORE® Cover is made by W. L. Gore & Associates. SG describes itself as Gore's exclusive cover partner for North America and Oceania.
• Industry memberships. The company says it belongs to the US Composting Council and AORA.
• Site tours. Its FAQ says you can ask for a virtual or in-person tour of an active project.

For equipment of this size, the most useful check is to call two or three facilities from its project profiles and ask how the system and support have worked for them.

Who owns and runs Sustainable Generation?

The company's team page names Scott Woods as Founder & CEO. His bio says he has more than 30 years of experience across technology, government services and sustainable infrastructure; that before SG he was CEO of a compost facility development company and Global Remote Services Vice President at Sun Microsystems; and that he holds an electrical engineering degree from Montana State University and an MBA from the University of Denver. The site does not publish ownership shares or a founding year.

The rest of the team as listed on the site:

How SG Advanced Composting Technology works

All SG systems share one process. The company's How It Works page describes it this way:

1. Mix. Feedstocks (food scraps, yard trimmings, biosolids, manure and so on) are ground and mixed into a recipe. The page says the right starting moisture is 55% to 65%, and that the process typically carries that moisture through without adding water.
2. Build the pile. The mix is placed on an aeration floor, either in-ground trenches or on-grade pipe.
3. Cover. A GORE® Cover goes over the pile. SG describes it as a breathable membrane that holds back odors, VOCs, bioaerosols and rain while letting water vapor escape.
4. Aerate. A blower pushes air up through the pile (positive aeration). The SG COMPOST CONTROL™ System adjusts airflow from oxygen and temperature readings.
5. Monitor and record. Probe data is stored in the cloud, so operators can watch piles remotely and export records for regulators.
6. Finish. Project profiles typically describe an 8-week treatment in 3 phases, followed by screening into finished compost.

Points the company stresses on that page and others:

• No building or biofilter. SG says the cover replaces the enclosed building and biofilter that many in-vessel systems need.
• Speed and footprint. It describes a 4 to 8 week treatment time against 8 to 12 months for an open windrow, and no turning in the active phase.
• Stormwater kept apart from leachate. Rain runs off the cover, so clean stormwater is separated from the liquid that drains from the compost.
• All climates. The company says the system works from desert heat to subzero snow.
• Compost quality. SG says finished compost meets US (USCC STA), Canadian (CCME) and Australian (AS 4454) standards.

The GORE® Cover partnership

The GORE® Cover is central to every SG system. SG's partnership page calls the company "the exclusive North American and Oceania partner for the GORE® Cover" and says it works with W. L. Gore & Associates. The home page puts it as "Trusted GORE® Cover Supplier for North America and Oceania."

In practice, if you are in those regions and want a GORE® Cover composting system, the site says SG is who you buy it through. SG adds its own aeration design, controls, solar option and services around the cover. For the cover's claimed benefits, see regulations and performance claims.

The systems, one by one

SG sells one process in three layouts, plus a power option and a software layer. The How It Works page sums up the layouts as: SG MOBILE for "pilots, small-medium sites, or off-grid use", SG BUNKER for "high-throughput permanent installations", and SG HEAP for "simple, scalable processing".

SG MOBILE®

The company describes SG MOBILE as an easily deployable CASP system "for fast and flexible organics recycling, without the need for costly infrastructure." It is the unit SG uses for its pilot and leasing programs. The product page says it needs 60% to 80% less space than in-vessel or windrow composting, that capacity grows by adding modules ("add piles, not buildings"), and that each unit comes with SG COMPOST CONTROL. SG also positions it for replacing windrows when a site starts accepting food waste. It is described as quick to set up; ask SG for a schedule for your site.

SG BUNKER®

SG BUNKER is the permanent, high-capacity layout. The product page says it handles "virtually all types of feedstocks," including food waste, green waste, yard trimmings, biosolids, agricultural manures, source-separated organics and anaerobic digestion digestate. It lists positive aeration in place of turning, no biofilters, full remote monitoring, and all-weather operation without an enclosed building. Examples the page gives include the 16-unit DSNY system on Staten Island, the Prince George's County facility in Maryland, and A1 Organics in Eaton, Colorado.

SG HEAP®

SG HEAP is for operators who want covered composting with the least fixed construction. The page calls it "a low-infrastructure, high-throughput solution designed for farms, municipal yards, and commercial sites" and says SG engineers support each project from pilot design to full scale.

SG SOLAR® Power

SG SOLAR is a power package, not a composting method: solar panels, a smart inverter and battery storage, a weatherproof enclosure and integration with SG COMPOST CONTROL. The Otay Landfill profile says it powered that whole facility, from blowers and probes to office air conditioning.

The SG COMPOST CONTROL™ System

SG COMPOST CONTROL is the company's own monitoring and control software, which it says was "built in-house for composting workflows" rather than adapted from a generic SCADA product. According to its page, it lets operators:

• See temperature, oxygen, airflow and blower data in real time from a phone, tablet or computer.
• Get alerts by email, text or dashboard when readings move outside set limits.
• Set up "recipes" for different feedstocks and climates, and configure each bunker or heap as its own batch.
• Export hourly, daily, weekly or regulatory reports for permit compliance.
• Review blower metrics and pile trends for troubleshooting.

The page says it works "whether you're managing one pile or 100" and helps with EPA Part 503, California air district and state or county permit reporting. You can request a demo from the page.

What can it compost?

SG's feedstock page groups the materials it designs for into four families, and the home page adds what each customer type is usually after:

SG also lists anaerobic digestate (Goleta and Arthur, Ontario), yard and green waste, wood chips and depackaged food waste. For an unusual feedstock, the feedstock page invites you to ask.

Consulting and services, phase by phase

The company's services page groups its work into five project milestones. This is the list it publishes:

The consulting page adds that pre-design sets facility requirements (bunker or heap count and size, equipment, material flow) before engineers start, that SG helps prepare solid waste, air quality and stormwater permit documents ("We speak the language of regulators"), and that it can convert an existing compost yard to SG technology.

The services pages do not say that SG acts as the general contractor or holds permits. For construction they list design, engineering and installation guidance, so agree in the contract who handles civil works, electrical and water connections.

Where SG systems are running

The company's project profiles describe a dozen sites. The ones below have the most detail on the site. Figures are SG's, as published on each profile.

Other sites in the profile list include Walker All Treat Farms (Arthur, Ontario), the Grand Forks Compost Facility (British Columbia), the City of San Diego's Miramar Greenery, Natural Soil Products (Tremont, Pennsylvania), the West Maui GreenCycle Compost Facility (Lahaina, Hawaii) and Happy Trash Can community composting (Bozeman, Montana). SG's pages also mention A1 Organics in Colorado and Cedar Grove in Washington, and a blog post on the Shafter-Wasco Compost Facility opening in Kern County, California.

How much does Sustainable Generation cost?

Prices are not published. Sustainable Generation does not list prices for any system, lease, consulting service or support contract on its site. Every project is quoted after the company learns about your tonnage, feedstock and site.

What drives the price, based on how the company describes its systems:

• Layout. A permanent SG BUNKER build with walls and in-floor aeration is a bigger investment than SG HEAP or leased SG MOBILE units.
• Tonnage. More tons means more bunkers, heaps or modules, more covers and more blowers.
• Site work. Pads, drainage, power and water connections, usually outside the system price.
• Extras. SG SOLAR, design and permitting help, training and support agreements.

The company's cost argument is total cost of ownership rather than a low sticker price. Its pages say SG systems need no building or biofilter, use little power, need less labor because piles are not turned, and that treatment cost per ton is lower than other systems because of the simple design. Those are SG's claims; ask for a lifecycle cost comparison for your own tonnage.

Financing and grants

The financing page lists three kinds of help:

• Grant and incentive support. Help finding and applying for local, state and federal programs (it names USDA, EPA and CalRecycle as examples).
• Flexible financing. Low-interest loans, leasing and purchase structures, according to the page. Terms are not published.
• Revenue support. The company says its systems can create potential for carbon offsets and income from compost sales, and helps with ROI modeling.

Its Kerman and Florence profiles both describe grant-funded projects (CalRecycle and Lane County grants).

Pilots, demos and leasing

Pilot and demo program

SG's pilot program uses SG MOBILE units on your site with your feedstocks. The company says it suits municipalities testing ways to meet diversion mandates, private composters trialing new mixes, farms and processors managing waste on site, and institutions running zero-waste pilots. According to the page:

• You run real batches and get performance data for permits, grants or board approval.
• The pilot uses the same core technology as the full-scale systems.
• On-site commissioning and training are included.

The company's main example is Prince George's County (pilot in 2013, 12 SG BUNKER units in 2018). Mid Valley Disposal, Florence and Otay also began as pilots.

Leasing program

The leasing program covers the SG MOBILE System. According to the page, a lease includes delivery, setup, system training and ongoing technical assistance, and you can add units, move systems or move to a permanent SG BUNKER System later. SG names four typical lessees: startup facilities, municipal programs bridging grant phases or near-term mandates, private operators adding seasonal capacity, and agricultural or food processors handling surges. Lease terms and prices are not published; the page asks you to request leasing information.

How a project works, step by step

Based on the company's services, consulting, pilot and support pages, a typical project runs like this:

1. First contact. You call 1-866-204-0165 or use the contact form, which asks for your location and a question or comment. The site's support form also asks what kind of help you need (technical assistance, product information, warranty inquiry, site visit, pilot or demo, maintenance or repair, or general inquiry).
2. Project initiation. SG reviews your feedstocks, tonnage, site and budget.
3. Pilot (optional). If a regulator, board or grant program wants data first, SG sets up SG MOBILE units on site.
4. Planning and permits. Pre-design sizes the system; SG helps prepare permit documents.
5. Design and installation. SG provides design, engineering and installation guidance; your contractors build the pad and utilities.
6. Commissioning and training. SG supports startup and trains your operators, who then run the site.
7. Ongoing support. Under a support agreement or à la carte (see support).

The site gives few firm durations. Ask for a written schedule for your site, including permitting time, which depends on your regulators.

Regulations and performance claims

Compliance is a big part of how SG sells its systems, and its pages make many specific claims. The main ones, as the company states them:

• Pathogen reduction. The company says its process meets the EPA Part 503 pathogen reduction (PFRP) and vector attraction reduction (VAR) requirements and supports Class A biosolids compost, and that it meets the EU Animal By-Products Regulation (ABPR).
• Air quality. SG says its systems are compliant with South Coast AQMD Rule 1133.3 and San Joaquin Valley APCD Rules 4565 and 4566, and its SG BUNKER page also lists SCAQMD Rule 1133.2. It publishes VOC and odor reduction figures from third-party and emission studies.
• Organics laws. It says its systems support California's SB 1383 organics mandates.
• Water. It says the cover keeps stormwater separate from leachate.
• Greenhouse gases. It cites published research on lower greenhouse gas emissions from covered composting.

Keep in mind that a permit is issued to your site, not to a technology: your regulators decide what your facility must do, and you keep the records. Emission results also depend on feedstock and operation, so ask SG for the study behind any figure you plan to use in a permit application or RFP evaluation.

Training, support and warranty questions

SG's professional support page says it offers annual support agreements and à la carte options, such as monthly remote support, seasonal tune-ups or full system audits. Listed services:

• Operator training on feedstock handling, aeration control, compost monitoring and quality assurance.
• On-site and remote technical support, including live troubleshooting and performance tuning.
• Commissioning and launch assistance.
• Remote reviews or on-site audits, help with new feedstocks, and regulatory reporting help.
• Preventive maintenance scheduling, OEM spare parts and consumables.

The page states a 4-hour response time for support contracts and support for all SG systems. The operator support page says SG technicians offer support for the life of the system, with an optional extended service contract.

Warranty terms are not published. The support form includes a "Warranty Inquiry" option, so warranties exist, but coverage and length for systems, covers and blowers are not on the site. Ask for them in writing with your quote.

How it compares with other ways to compost

This table uses general categories, not named companies. It reflects how SG describes its own approach; the right choice depends on your site, feedstock and regulators.

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Questions to ask before you buy

• Which layout do you recommend for our tonnage and site, and why not the other two?
• What is the total installed cost, and which site works (pad, power, water, drainage) are excluded from your quote?
• What are the lease terms, length and purchase options for SG MOBILE units?
• What does the warranty cover for the cover, blowers, controls and probes, and for how long? What is the expected life of a GORE® Cover?
• Which emission and odor studies match our feedstock and air district, and can we see the full reports?
• Who prepares and who signs the permit applications? Who is the engineer of record?
• What does an annual support agreement cost, and what does the 4-hour response time cover?
• Is there a fee for SG COMPOST CONTROL, and who owns the data?
• Can we speak to two or three operators running a similar system and feedstock?
• If federal grant money is involved, can you help with our RFP without being excluded from bidding on it?

How to get started

1. Gather the basics: feedstock types, tons per year now and expected, candidate sites, power and water availability, and funding sources.
2. Read the system pages and the company's Commercial Composting Guide to narrow down MOBILE, HEAP or BUNKER.
3. Call 1-866-204-0165, email info@sustainable-generation.com, or use the contact form.
4. Ask for a site visit or a virtual tour of an operating project.
5. Decide whether you need a pilot or lease first, or are ready to design a permanent system.
6. Get a written quote with scope, schedule, warranty and support terms.

Visit Sustainable Generation

Terms you'll see on the site

• ASP / CASP: aerated static pile / covered aerated static pile. A pile that is not turned but is fed air through the floor; "covered" means it sits under a cover.
• Positive aeration: air is blown up into the pile, as opposed to negative aeration, which pulls air down through it.
• GORE® Cover: a breathable multi-layer membrane cover made by W. L. Gore & Associates.
• Biofilter: a bed of organic material that treats exhaust air from enclosed composting.
• PFRP: Process to Further Reduce Pathogens, the EPA Part 503 time-and-temperature standard for Class A biosolids.
• VAR: vector attraction reduction, rules to make biosolids less attractive to flies and rodents.
• Class A / Class A EQ: biosolids products that meet the strictest EPA pathogen standards ("EQ" is exceptional quality).
• SSO / FOGO: source-separated organics / food organics and garden organics.
• Digestate: the material left after anaerobic digestion.
• Leachate: liquid that drains from compost, kept separate from clean stormwater.
• SCAQMD / SJVAPCD: the South Coast and San Joaquin Valley air districts in California.
• SB 1383: California's law requiring organic waste to be diverted from landfills.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

All pages checked on 19 October 2026.

1. Home page: sustainable-generation.com
2. Contact us: sustainable-generation.com/contact-us/
3. Our Company: sustainable-generation.com/our-company/
4. SG Team: team page and Scott Woods bio
5. Customer testimonials: sustainable-generation.com/our-company/testimonials/
6. GORE® Cover partnership: sustainable-generation.com/the-gore-partnership/
7. Products: overview, SG MOBILE®, SG BUNKER®, SG HEAP®, SG SOLAR®
8. SG Advanced Composting™: overview, How It Works, SG COMPOST CONTROL™, Professional Support Services, FAQs
9. Performance: overview and feedstocks
10. Consulting: overview, Pilots / Demos, Leasing Program
11. Commercial composting services: services by milestone, project initiation, facilities construction
12. Operator training and support: sustainable-generation.com/our-service/operator-training-support/
13. Financing and grants: sustainable-generation.com/financing-grants/
14. Project profiles: Staten Island (DSNY), Prince George's County, Otay Landfill, Mid Valley Disposal, City of Florence
15. Commercial Composting Guide: sustainable-generation.com/commercial-composting-guide/