Community members are asked to keep all fallen leaves, garden leftovers, and plant clippings out of the landfill and help turn them into soil for Chaffee County. Readers are asked to take part in a fall Yard Waste Collection event hosted by Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA) and Elements Mountain Compost. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 13 at the Elements Mountain Compost facility (8875 County Road 150, Salida).
Drop off will be free of charge during event hours only. Those unable to transport items to the event can sign up for pick-up services for a fee here.
Image courtesy of unsplash.com Photo by Susan Jones
Acceptable waste materials for the event are leaves, garden clippings, and lawn clippings. Branches and weeds will not be accepted. Participants are encouraged to bring their waste in a reusable or compostable or paper bag to minimize plastic use. Elements will provide compostable bags for $2 per bag; these can be purchased at the GARNA office (209 East Third St., Salida) during the weeks leading up to the event.
At the event, Elements will sell compost, offer free facility tours, and give participants the opportunity to sign up for residential composting, which will increase the amount of household food waste diverted from the landfill. When organic materials, such as food scraps and yard waste are added to the landfill, they do not decompose. Instead, these materials release methane, a gas with 23 times the greenhouse gas potential of carbon dioxide.
Diverting organic materials from the landfill waste stream by composting reduces methane production and allows these potentially harmful materials to be converted into nutrient-rich soil for our county.
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