Wyoming City Develops Yard Waste Composting Program

Backyard leaves, broken branches and the withered remains of summer gardens once produced trash cans overflowing with yard waste each fall in Sheridan, Wy.

Not anymore.

A city program to encourage green waste recycling offers residents another option for disposing of landscaping residue during fall cleanup season. Launched two years ago, Sheridan's green waste recycling program has been a hit both with residents and waste managers.

In 2006, Sheridan purchased large green waste recycling bins and installed them at seven locations around the city. The goal was to reduce yard waste that ends up in the city landfill, which studies show accounts for 12 percent of all waste generated. For a community that lacked a well-established recycling program at the time, officials were uncertain whether residents would participate in the program. Almost immediately, the bins began filling at a rapid rate.

"It kind of blew us out of the water," said Charles Martineau, solid waste superintendent for the city of Sheridan.

"When we first put them out, we thought we'd be lucky if we were emptying them once a week. Now it's gotten to a couple of times a day. We now have trucks going around the clock emptying them."

Sheridan resident Ruben Esparza said the bins are convenient and easy to use, as he tossed branches and piles of peat moss into a green waste bin on a recent afternoon.

"I figure, why get rid of it if they can reuse it?" Esparza said. "It's a great program."

While the mere presence of the bins at neighborhood recycling drop sites has been enough to change citizen behavior, offering an economic incentive hasn't hurt either. Residents who transport their yard waste directly to the landfill for composting can take advantage of Sheridan's "pound for pound" program. For every pound of yard waste residents bring in for composting, they receive a coupon good for an equal weight of compost. The coupon is good for an entire year, and Martineau says the program has developed a loyal following.

"We've seen a large reduction in the amount of green waste getting buried and the public can get something back at no charge," Martineau said.

Green waste placed in Sheridan's recycling bins is trucked to the landfill and deposited at a composting site. Thicker tree branches are turned into raw wood chips, which are popular for xeriscaping. Leaves, pinecones, twigs and other organic yard waste is mixed and cured to create a rich, dark compost. The process takes anywhere from three months to a year, depending on moisture and temperature. The compost serves as a soil conditioner and helps garden soil hold air and water and is snapped up by home gardeners.

Statewide, composting has taken off with many communities now operating composting facilities and offering incentives for yard waste recycling. In Cheyenne, yard waste has been banned from the landfill for the past four years. In Jackson, a pilot composting program was launched early this year and the community recycling center sells home composting units at wholesale cost.

The Casper City Council is eager to eliminate yard waste from the landfill, and solid waste manager Cindy Langston is currently working towards implementing a plan to do so. Casper also offers a pound-for-pound program that Langston said was modeled after Sheridan's program. In addition, firewood consisting of logs too large to put through the grinder, is available for free from the Casper landfill.