The Valparaiso compost site, 2150 W. Lincolnway, and the Boone Grove compost site, 546 S. 400 W., will be closed Thursday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 29, for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Both sites will reopen Monday, Nov. 30 for their last week of seasonal operation.
Regular hours for the Valpo site are 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Regular hours for the Boone Grove compost site are noon to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Saturday, Dec. 5 will be the last day of operation in 2015 for both public compost sites.
In 2016, the Valparaiso site will begin 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. off-season hours on Saturdays beginning Jan. 9, for residents to recycle their once live Christmas trees, wreaths and other organic holiday waste. The Boone Grove site will remain closed after Dec. 5, until the regular season begins in the spring.
Porter County residents are encouraged to bring in organic debris from fall yard cleanups and organic Halloween and fall decorations, such as pumpkins, gourds, hay, corn stalks, etc., to be incorporated into the sites’ compost windrows.
Plastic bags and other such containers must be removed upon dropping off materials. Grass is accepted at the Boone Grove site only. No treated wood or lumber of any kind is accepted at either site.
The Saturday-only hours at the Valparaiso site will continue through March 26, 2016. Both sites will open for the season on Monday, March 28, 2016.
The compost sites allow the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County and select municipalities to manage organic material, composting yard waste and grinding organic wood waste to create large amounts of finished compost and mulch. The resulting compost and mulch are available free to Porter County residents, as long as supplies last.
Porter County residents are advised to call the district, 465-3694, to determine material availability and site access during inclement weather. Residents should bring shovels and containers to load as much compost and mulch as they want.
The City of Valparaiso Public Works Department will load material at the Valparaiso site on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for a fee. Residents should call 462-4612 for times and payment information.
Other materials accepted for recycling at these sites include: household batteries, old electronics (computers, televisions, anything with an electrical cord or powered by batteries), fluorescent light bulbs (tubes and CFLs), toner cartridges, and old media (CDs, DVDs, video games, but nothing with tape or film, such as video cassettes, etc.).
The Recycling & Waste Reduction District of Porter County is an agency dedicated to improving the environment and quality of life by providing services and educational programs which help residents reduce, reuse, and recycle.
For more information on the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County, visit www.ItMeansTheWorld.org or call 219-465-3694.