The Valparaiso compost site, 2150 W. Lincolnway, will begin Saturday off-season hours Jan. 7, for Porter County residents to dispose of their once live Christmas decorations, trees, wreaths and other organic waste. The 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday hours will continue through April 7.
Ornaments and lights should be removed from trees and wreaths before disposal. Other organic materials accepted at this site include yard waste, leaves, garden clippings, household plants, brush, limbs, logs and firewood. No grass or treated wood or lumber will be accepted.
Residents who received new electronics for Christmas can recycle their unwanted electronics and electrical items at the compost site. Accepted items include: computers, monitors, televisions, typewriters, copiers, PDAs, VCRs, fax machines, microwaves, scanners, gaming machines, and anything with an electrical cord. Christmas light strands are also accepted.
Besides electronics and organic materials, residents can recycle other items at the compost sites, including household batteries, fluorescent light bulbs (tubes and CFLs), toner cartridges, media (CDs, video cassettes, etc.) and cell phones.
Residents interested in disposing of their artificial Christmas trees and decorations should consider donating them to charitable organizations for reuse.
The Valparaiso compost site will open for the season on April 9. The Boone Groove compost site, 546 S. 400 W., will remain closed for the winter, reopening April 23 for the season.
The compost sites allow the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County and various 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 for public use.
For more information, visit the District’s website, www.itmeanstheworld.org, or call 219-465-3694.