Public Meeting to Help Identify North Porter County Compost Needs

recyclePorter County residents will get an opportunity to voice their opinions on whether or not a public access compost site is needed in northern Porter County at a town hall meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 19.

Staff from the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County along with street department officials from Chesterton and Porter will discuss their experiences at the meeting, which will take place in the theater of the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitors Center, 1215 North State Road 49, Porter.

The event will include a presentation about the operations of a compost site, followed by a town hall style discussion with attendees.

There are currently two public access compost sites in Porter County: Valparaiso and Boone Grove. The Valparaiso compost site, 2150 W. Lincolnway, 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.

The Boone Grove site, 440 West 550 South, offers the same services but is managed solely by the district.

The sites accept organic yard waste, leaves, garden clippings, garden and household plants, etc. They also will accept brush, limbs, logs and firewood. Grass is only accepted at the Boone Grove site.

The Town of Chesterton and City of Portage operate compost sites that are not currently open for public access.

Residents who cannot attend the meeting can still provide feedback by taking an online survey on the district’s website, www.ItMeansTheWorld.org. For further information on the meeting, call 219-465-3819 or send an e-mail to info@ItMeansTheWorld.org.