Post by mikehamper on Feb 24, 2009 3:30:04 GMT -5
Many thanks to all residents and contractors who took their yard waste products to the compost site during 2008. Since its establishment under Mayor Joe Strong the site has grown in popularity with residents for many reasons. Not only does it provide a place to dispose of yard waste it also provides a recyclable product every fall to be returned back to nature. Every year the Ashtabula County Commissioners hire and pay a company to grind all the yard waste material into compost mulch and leaf humus. This years grinding provided only one finished product because of the large quantity of material deposited during 2008. By late spring all yard waste had to be combined into one large pile to provide ample space for the season. It was hard at times for me to keep it pushed back and high piled with the bulldozer as we waited for the County grinding contract to be posted and awarded. The entire holding area was filled to capacity by the time grinding began in December but avoided closing the site like in 2007 because of a more conscientious public and my time spent keeping the loose material piled on a regular basis. I was asked to help keep the piles pushed back on a volunteer basis three years ago by Mayor Carl Biats and have been happy to oblige since then knowing I am the largest user in Roaming Shores of the end product. For the more material we have stockpiled the more finished product we will have for the next season. This years finished product is a mix of all on site material and is far superior than past years. The mixture of leaves and grass clippings with the wood chips adds a nutritional value to the mulch. This years mulch will probably break down (decompose) faster than in past years but is defiantly worth the effort of installing into landscapes. I am installing it three inches in depth instead of two around plant material because of the anticipated accelerated decomposition. This years mulch also makes an excellent planting medium and can be installed on lakefront slopes in various depths for fall installation of plant material and ground covers.