Cleanup of the Zigler Road yard waste compost site has been temporarily put on hold due to equipment damage caused by illegal dumping, La Porte County Solid Waste District Director Clay Turner said. However, the site officially remains closed.
A piece of metal illegally dumped at the yard waste site recently damaged a gear and many of the grinding teeth on the grinder being used to process materials, Turner said, which caused the contractor to halt work until it is fixed.
“Despite the contractor’s best efforts to separate illegally dumped items from the yard waste, this still happened and it has set us back a few weeks,” he said. “We want to thank everyone for their patience while this project is being completed.”
All “Road Closed” signs and blockades were taken down for convenience during the break, but they will be put back up when work resumes. People should not continue to use the site while it is being cleaned up because there is a limited amount of taxpayer funding available to pay to remove the materials, Turner said. “If that funding runs out and the site is still not clean, we will not be able to do anything productive with it,” he said. “This project really depends on cooperation from residents of this county. If you want to have a usable yard waste compost site and you don’t want to waste taxpayer dollars, please wait for the site to be cleaned up to use it again.”
The District operates another yard waste compost site outside the Westville Correctional Facility, which is open to all county residents from 8 to 11 am and noon to 2 pm Monday through Friday. The Westville site is available for free yard waste disposal for residents, with a small fee for businesses. Call Director Troy Taylor at (219) 363-8962 for more information.
The Zigler Road site was never open to businesses, Turner said.
The La Porte Street Department will begin fall leaf and yard waste curbside pickups as soon as the beginning of October for residents in the city of La Porte, so use of the site locally should not be an issue, he said. Surrounding cities also have curbside yard waste pickups for residents. If you are unsure what yard waste removal services are available at your home, call your local City Hall. In La Porte, call the Street Department at 362-2477.
Simply put leaves and grass clippings into a pile in your yard, mix it together and add a little water. To make yard waste decompose faster, you can shred leaves with your lawnmower before composting. You can also turn the pile every few days with a shovel or pitchfork to aerate it.
For more items you can compost and information about composting, visit Purdue Extension’s website at https://extension.purdue.edu/HENV/.