Introducing Yard Waste Collection
Progress has been admittedly slower than we'd hoped when it comes to starting a food-composting facility in Topeka, but we haven't given up yet. Our proposal with Shawnee County is currently on hold as we address feedback from the Land Use & Development Department and decide how to proceed.
In the meantime, we're excited to announce another compost-related development: We have been awarded a grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to purchase a truck and trailer that we will use to start a curbside yard-waste pickup service. We will take the material to Garick Yard Waste Processing Facility, where it will be turned into mulch and compost. We hope our collection program will be fully operational by spring but plan to pilot it this fall to keep some of the season's leaves and branches out of the landfill.
The grant does come with one caveat, which is where we can use your help. We need to provide a 25% match for the funds. Some of the money must be in cash, and some can come in the form of volunteer labor. Volunteers would help us drive the collection route and load up pre-bagged leaves (in paper bags) and bundled branches. They might also utilize chainsaws to cut up larger branches if that is a service we decide to offer.
Let us know with this survey if you have any interest in this service—either as a user of the program or as a volunteer. It doesn't commit you to anything but will help us plan and shape our model.
If you would like to support this service but cannot volunteer, perhaps you would consider making a donation to help offset the cash portion of the matching funds ($3,000). You can do that on our website or by writing a check. Just add a memo line or "delivery note" to your online donation indicating you would like it to apply specifically to the yard-waste collection program.
We are excited about this opportunity to make a dent in the amount of compostable material going to the landfill! We look forward to your feedback on the program and appreciate any help you can offer in making it happen.
We are excited about this opportunity to make a dent in the amount of compostable material going to the landfill! We look forward to your feedback on the program and appreciate any help you can offer in making it happen.
