Yard and Garden Debris
Home and Garden October 10 2001

The Willamette Valley in autumn can hardly be beat. Warm days, huge moons, and fruits and vegetables aplenty. Sometimes too aplenty. What is the best way to dispose of garden wastes, prunings, and the 12 lb zucchini that you can't seem to give to anyone? There are many local options for converting these organic discards into a rich humus-like material, but whatever you do, don't place these materials into your garbage can.

Organics materials-yard debris and food wastes- make up almost 25 percent of the materials deposited into Lane County's Short Mountain Landfill. Because heavy equipment packs and repacks the landfill in an effort to place the maximum amount of materials into the smallest possible space, there isn't much room for oxygen to move throughout the landfill. Without oxygen, organic materials don't decompose in a landfill. What they do instead is putresce-a term that describes anaerobic decomposition. The particularly problematic byproducts of anaerobic decomposition are organic acids and methane gas. Organic acids are contained in the liquid that seeps through the landfill. As the liquids percolate through the garbage, they pick up heavy metals like mercury and arsenic. These are compounds that contaminate ground and surface waters and are expensive to manage. Methane gas is a greenhouse gas, and landfills have long been suspected of contributing to global warming. While the Emerald Peoples Utility District captures this gas and converts it into electricity at the Short Mountain Landfill, about 25 percent of the generated gas is lost to the atmosphere.

So why contribute to the not-so-short Short Mountain landfill when there are much better ways to manage these discards? Consider your options:

Compost on-site:
A well built compost pile will transform yard and garden debris into a soil amendment that you can return to your garden next spring. Three compost demonstrations still remain, put on by the Extension Services Master Gardener program. There is no charge for these events.

Saturday, October 13 10-11:30 Matthews Community Garden, 15th and Hayes, Eugene
Saturday, October 20 3-4:30 Riverhouse Compost Demonstration Site, 301 N Adams, Eugene
Saturday, November 10 10-11:30 Grass Roots Garden, 1465 Coburg Rd., Eugene

Curbside Yard Debris Collection
As of September 11, residents of Eugene have yard debris collection service included with their regular garbage collection services. 65 gallon roll carts have been supplied to collection customers. The general rule of thumb is "if it grows, it goes". The cart lid must be closed and it cannot exceed 120 lbs in weight. Contact your garbage service provider for more information about this service.

Haul Debris to a Compost Processor
Both Lane Forest Products, Rexius Forest By-Products, and Lane County's Glenwood Central Receiving Station (the dump!) accept organic materials for composting. These processors are able to accept a wide variety of materials which they typically grind up and place into "windrows" for a period of 3 to 5 months. The high temperatures they reach ensure that weed seeds and diseases are killed. For rate and delivery locations contact these processors at 345-9045, 342-1835, or 682-4120 respectively.

Leaf Recycling
When the rains come, we can expect to see the oaks and maples shed their leaves by the truckload. Both Eugene and Springfield offer collection programs for street leaves. Because many residents request delivery of leaves so that they use them as a mulch, it is important that leaves only are placed into the streets. Both cities work with local newspapers to notify residents about the specific collection schedules. Crews visit each section of town two times during the collection period-usually November through January. To request a leaf delivery in the Eugene Springfield area, visit www.eugenerecycles.org or call 682-4800 to get a leaf delivery form.

The next time you place your garbage can at the curb or haul your garbage to a transfer station, ask yourself if you've eliminated the organic portion of your discards. Our landfill may stink, but it is too precious a resource for us to fill with materials that are compostable locally. This autumn, keep the Willamette Valley clean and green by participating in organics recycling.

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