Redondo Beach Fish Die-off Leftovers Make ‘Killer’ Compost

Byline: Taylor Hill REDONDO BEACH — After the media circus and end-of-the-world proclamations fizzled following King Harbor’s massive fish die-off in March, Redondo Beach city officials still had a big mess to deal with. Nearly 175 tons of dead sardines had been removed from the harbor, and the city wanted to make good use of them. Fortunately, the city’s trash hauler, Athens Services, has one of the state’s only organic composting facilities. “We were looking for options to transport and haul the fish from the harbor, and our options were to take them out to sea, store them in a landfill or recycle them,” said Redondo Beach Public Works director Mike Witzansky. “We pursued the recycling option, because Athens’ composting facility was cost-effective, and we thought it was a good reuse of the material.” Over the next six months, American Organics — an Athens-owned company located in Victorville — treated the fish that met their demise in the harbor, turning them into a high-grade compost blend mixed with food waste, yard waste and dirt. After passing all of the appropriate health and safety requirements, Athens Services hauled 30 tons of the total 1,100 tons of fish-mixed compost to Redondo Beach’s Wilderness Park Sept. 17, where...