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The New Castle County Yard Waste Ban Goes Into Effect January 24

1/16/2008

The New Castle County Yard Waste Ban will go into effect on January 24, 2008. Residents in this county will no longer be able to mix yard waste with their normal household trash. Restricting yard waste from the Cherry Island Landfill remains a permit condition that DNREC issued to the Delaware Solid Waste Authority. Current estimates based on DSWA’s recent statewide waste characterization study place yard waste at approximately 16.4% of residential waste at the Cherry Island Landfill. By diverting yard waste from the landfill, the life expectancy of the landfill will be extended.

There are several different options for these residents.DSWA will have a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) program where residents can purchase stickers at $1.00 each and must be purchased in increments of 10. These fluorescent pink stickers must be put on their yard waste bags and we will pick them up. Residents will be required to supply their own bags for this program. We will continue to accept the tan yard waste bags that were provided to customers in the past until they are gone.

Once yard waste is collected from residents, it will be brought to the Cherry Island Landfill (CIL). CIL is using a composting system developed by the Delaware based, W.L Gore & Associates. This system uses GORE-TEX membrane, laminated between two highly robust polyester layers and uses three components: aeration, control, and tarpaulin. Balanced together the three components interact to produce a unique, economical, and reliable composting system. The compost will be used at CIL in landscaping and topsoil amendment applications. In addition, some of the yard waste will be mulched and provided at DNREC’s free drop-off sites for pick-up by residents.

Residents can also bring their yard waste directly to the Cherry Island Landfill to have it recycled into mulch and compost. The cost to drop-off yard waste to the landfill is $61.50 per ton. Their vehicle will be weighed in and out of the landfill just as if they were dropping off trash.

Another option available to residents is from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). They have opened two free yard waste drop-off sites within the county. The sites are open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The first site is located at DART’s mid-county facility at the southwest corner of Rt. 13 and Rt. 72 near Bear. The second site is located on Polly Drummond Hill Road directly across from the entrance to the Judge Morris Estate. Yard waste will be ground into mulch and will be free to residents when it is available. A third yard waste site is scheduled to open in January in northern New Castle County. If you would like more information on these sites or to find out when mulch will be available, please call DNREC at 739-9403 or visit the DNREC website at www.dnrecdelaware.gov.

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