The City of Valparaiso and the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County invite residents to take advantage of getting their trucks loaded with compost during International Compost Awareness Week.
The city’s Public Works Department will be available to load compost for Porter County residents from 9 a.m. to noon May 5 through 10, for a nominal fee at the City of Valparaiso Street Department, 406 Don Hovey Drive. Residents are limited to three yards per load, while supplies last.
While the compost material is free to all Porter County residents, the charge for loading each cubic yard of compost will be $10 for residents and $15 for businesses.
Residents can bring shovels and buckets and load their own compost for free any time at the Valparaiso compost site, 2150 W. Lincolnway. The site is a large scale municipal composting operation that offers Porter County residents the opportunity to drop off their yard waste for recycling.
The district partners with the city to manage the organic material, composting yard waste and grinding organic wood waste to create large amounts of finished compost and mulch.
Regular hours for the Valparaiso compost site are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
More information about the public compost sites and what is available and accepted at each one is listed on the district's website, www.ItMeansTheWorld.org.
Backyard composters are available for $15 from the district. For more information, call the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County, 465-3694.