RESIDENTIAL SERVICES : RESIDENTIAL RESOURCES

Yard Waste Facility : Recycling Yard Waste : Make Your Own Compost

Yard Waste Facility
SPSA’s Yard Waste Facility, located at the Virginia Beach Landfill II, recycles the following only:

• Brush
• Tree trimmings
• Wooden pallets
• Wood Chips

These items are not accepted:

• Grass/leave clippings
• Brush and tree trimmings over six inches in diameter
• Stumps
• Large logs
• Treated wood waste
• Household solid waste
• Glass
• Metal
• Construction Debris
• Yard waste mixed in with household waste

Check with your City/County Public Works Departments for pick-up of your leaves and grass. You can also dispose of your leaves and grass at the following locations:

• Va. Beach Landfill II (Va. Beach residents only)
• Landstown Transfer Station, Va. Beach
• Norfolk Transfer Station                                                
• Chesapeake Transfer Station
• Regional Landfill, Suffolk                                               
• Suffolk Transfer Station
• Franklin Transfer Station                                               
• Refuse Derived Fuel Plant, Portsmouth
• Isle of Wight Transfer Station                                        
• Ivor Transfer Station

Nature's Blend Mulch
By recycling yard waste into mulch, SPSA is able to keep this material out of the landfill while creating organic gardening products which will nourish lawns and gardens without adding harmful chemicals. SPSA markets this product under the name "Nature's Blend." Get prices and locations.

You can also make your own compost at home and recycle more of your yard waste...

Make Your Own Compost

• Combine leaves, grass and yard clippings in a bin. The bin should be placed where it can receive equal amounts of sun and shade throughout the day.
• Add kitchen debris such as fruit and vegetable scraps, egg and nut shells, paper towels, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters.
• Do not use meat, dairy products, fat or grease. These will attract animals to your compost pile.
• Alternate food wastes with garden debris. The ideal compost mixture contains three parts "browns" (dry leaves, brush and small twigs) to one part "greens" (food scraps, weeds and grass clippings).
• A balance of damp and dry materials is necessary for the composting process. If the pile appears too dry, lightly sprinkle it with water.
• Turn the materials periodically with a pitchfork or shovel to circulate air and distribute moisture.
• If you use food scraps in your compost pile, make sure to put a covered screen or a lid on the pile or container. This will come unwelcome animals out of your compost pile.
• For more information about do-it-yourself composting, contact the Virginia Cooperative Extension office in your community.

Find ways to increase the recycling of yard waste!

The following websites offer excellent sources of information for the homeowner and landscaper:

Virginia Cooperative Extension Program - Mowing To Recycle Grass Clippings: Let the clips fall where they may.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's - GreenScapes program provides cost efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for landscaping.

Earth 911 - Grasscycling “Mow Down” - saving time, money and landfill space.

For more information contact Dean Arrington.