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Mayor's Memo "Yard Waste" sounds like such a harsh phrase for innocuous debris — grass clippings, flower bed weeds, twigs and branches. The truth is, this material has become a major disposal headache. Landfills, our primary disposal facilities, are rapidly disappearing. In a few years they will be gone. Yard waste accounts for up to 20% of the material dumped at those sites. The State of Illinois is requiring that vegetation be disposed of in some other way in order to conserve space in the remaining landfills. It does not specify how. It only requires that the changeover be complete by July 1, 1990. In this special newsletter, the Village presents its proposal for meeting this dictum. Remember, the deadline is not some hazy future "sometime"; it's almost upon us. Plan to do your part through your yard maintenance program and the guidelines presented here.
Jack B. Williams
Yard Waste Disposal Beginning June 1st Municipalities continuously face state and national mandates. These laws are orders or commands to take specified actions. Their significance often escapes most citizens. They usually are not directly involved. Now, however, the homeowner is affected by one such mandate. This is the decree by the State of Illinois that landscape and yard waste no longer can be deposited in landfills. It is the homeowner's responsibility to find an acceptable alternative. Effective July 1, 1990, Illinois residents will not be permitted to mix yard waste with everyday rubbish. Yard waste includes grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and tree limbs less than three inches in diameter. Disposal companies are required to refuse such loads. The law is aimed at conserving our remaining landfill space. Franklin Park has set June 1st as the deadline to begin a new system of disposal within the Village. Let It Lie The easiest way for the homeowner to comply with the state mandate is simply to leave clippings lie after mowing. Though this runs contrary to years of habit for many, the truth is that when grass is mowed regularly, it can benefit the lawn. Unless the clippings are exceptionally long, the dreaded "thatch" will not develop. In fact, most lawn thatch is made up of roots, leaf sheaths and rhizomes. These materials resist decomposition; grass blades do not. Mulching Residents who are determined to remove clippings are encouraged to start their own yard waste recycling programs. Do-it-yourself mulching is an ideal alternative. Homeowners should consider turning leaves and grass clippings into mulch for use in their own yards. Mulching restores rich nutrients to the soil and avoids both extra work and disposal costs. Composting A third approach is composting. There are ways to easily turn landscape waste into rich compost without unpleasant odor. The result is a natural fertilizer at no cost. Contact the Village Hall to learn more. Yard Waste Drop Off If none of these disposal methods are acceptable, the Village will provide a collection point for yard waste drop off. If the material is bagged, it must be in biodegradable paper containers. No plastic bags will be accepted. The collection point is located behind the street department garage, in the alley south of Belmont Avenue. It is accessible from 25th Avenue. Remember, the state has made the homeowner responsible for yard waste disposal. The Village, by providing the collection point, has given the property owner an alternative — a no cost alternative. Should this system prove ineffective, we will have to go to more costly solutions. Many of our neighboring communities are facing a pay by the bag system. This could cost the individual homeowner about $5.00 per week throughout the growing season, when two or three biodegradable bags are used each week. The landfill shortage has reached the crisis stage. Let's all do our part to prevent it from overwhelming us. Page 14 / Illinois Municipal Review / May 1990
Common Questions
Here are some of the most common questions about yard waste disposal: Q. Why can't I put out my grass clippings, leaves and brush the way I always have? A. The State of Illinois has mandated that this material can no longer be included with garbage destined for a landfill site. It cannot be included-in garbage pick-ups. It is the homeowner's responsibility to find an alternate solution. Q. What is the reason for the law? A. Yard waste comprises up to 20% of the total volume dumped in landfills. By eliminating this material we can prolong the life of our diminishing landfills. Q. What is yard (landscape) waste? A. Grass clippings, shrubbery clippings, leaves, twigs, tree limbs (less than 3" in diameter), and dead plants and flowers of all types. Q. Will yard waste be picked up with the weekly garbage after June 1st? A. No. Q. Why will yard waste not be picked up at my home? A. Home pickup would result in an extra fee. Q. What will happen if I mix yard waste with other trash? A. The hauler will refuse to pick it up. You would then have to separate it and dispose of it in one of the ways mentioned (mulching, composting or drop-off). The other refuse would be collected at the next pickup. Q. How can I dispose of yard waste? A. Recycle it as mulch or leave grass clippings on the lawn after cutting (thus helping restore natural nutrients to the soil). "Cut it high, cut it dry, let it lie," is one way to put it. As an alternative, you can drop off yard waste at the rear of the Street Department garage, in the alley south of Belmont Avenue. The drop-off point is accessible from 25th Avenue at any time of the day or night. DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS. Q. Who can use the drop off facility? A. Residents of Franklin Park only. The Village is arranging an additional service without additional cost by providing the drop off location. The success of this system depends on everyone's cooperation. The area will be monitored. Q. What is a biodegradable bag? A. The standard is a 30-gallon double ply kraft bag. It is heavy-duty and weather resistant. Kraft bags break down in compost piles as quickly as the material they contain. Q. What if I have a lawn service maintain my property? A. Lawn services are responsible for disposing of yard waste they produce. They are not permitted to use the Village drop off facility. The area will be monitored and violators fined. Q. What will Village trucks pick up? A. Village trucks will continue to pick up branches, small evergreens and shrubs. When a tree on private property is cut down, the tree service must remove and dispose of it. •
Solving the landscape waste problem is but the first step in a whole new way to handle waste. Soon we will have to solve other, even more complex, crises. The truth is, we're running out of disposal space. The next most obvious challenge to tackle is recycling. Remember, recycling efforts do not drastically alter the way we live. But conservation will influence how we use some materials and how we dispose of things we no longer use. It certainly is easier to do whatever is necessary to sort and dispose of certain kinds of trash than eventually to do without the conveniences we have come to value. In the months to come, our new Recycling Program Director, Jan Monroe, will be developing programs to help us make the transition. Watch future issues of the Newsletter to keep you apprised of new ways to adapt to our world of the 90's. • May 1990 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 15 |
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