SIMI VALLEY : Worm Farm Owner to Join State Panel
The owner of a Ventura County worm farm whose unique recycling business was threatened with closure for not having the proper operating permits has been asked to help revise permit regulations for businesses such as his.
Richard Morhar, owner of The Worm Concern near Simi Valley, said Monday that he was recently asked by California Integrated Waste Management officials to sit on a committee working to change the state’s permit regulations for similar businesses.
“I want to do it because the regulations we have now don’t make any sense,” Morhar said.
In October, Morhar was notified by county officials that he would have to shut down his business until he obtained the operating permits required of large landfills and composting facilities. The permit would have cost Morhar more than $3,000.
However, the waste management board decided to grant Morhar an 18-month reprieve until it can come up with new and less stringent regulations for businesses such as his. Morhar’s worms eat grass clippings and other yard waste that cities divert from landfills. The worms turn the waste into plant fertilizer that is then sold.
State officials said they were willing to work with Morhar because his business helps reduce the flow of trash into landfills, a high state priority.
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