A new initiative to turn Scappoose’s waste into usable fertilizer has received a statewide accolade.

The League of Oregon Cities has presented the city of Scappoose with the 2025 Award for Excellence in recognition of the city’s new biosolids dryer, which is among a slew of new improvements at the wastewater treatment plant.

The LOC is an association that provides governing assistance to all 241 of Oregon’s incorporated cities through training, policy setting, intergovernmental relations and more. The Award for Excellence highlights cities that “have undertaken progressive and innovative approaches to city operations and providing services to their citizens.”

The new biosolids dryer has been up and running in Scappoose since December. It cost the city about $2.7 million, $2.5 million of which came from federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.

Shaped like a giant, metal cylinder, it works like the clothes dryer, but on a much larger scale. Biosolids — or processed poop, to put it simply — are spun around at 190 degrees Fahrenheit for three days. The process dehydrates the waste, which is then placed inside giant, marshmallow-shaped bags to be used as fertilizer.

Before the biosolids dryer was purchased, the building it now sits in would be full of dehydrated waste by the end of summer, causing odors to permeate throughout the city. As the old process created fertilizer that was not safe for everyday use, the city would pay about $200,000 a year to use or dispose of it.

The new machine significantly cuts down on odors, and the end product is usable by the average person as fertilizer. Plans are in the works for the city to eventually give it away for free, Wastewater Treatment Supervisor Kevin Turner said previously.