City opens compost site for brush, leaves, grass

Fairfield?s new compost site is now open to the public.

The site is at the intersection of South 20th Street and West Jackson Avenue. It is on land owned by Fairfield Economic Development Association and leased to the city.

The compost site is intended for brush, grass clippings and leaves. Each of those three categories has a designated area marked by signs indicating what each area is for. No other materials beside those three categories are allowed.

The gates to the compost site are unlocked and will remain open to the public as long as the rules of the site are followed.

Once the piles are large enough a contractor will finely grind the material on-site and put the ground material into rows. City crews will turn the piles and monitor the progress until an acceptable compost material is created. The compost will be free to the public.

Fairfield councilman and environment committee chairman Michael Halley praised the creation of the compost site.

?This new community compost site is designed to transform local yard waste into a valuable material for our citizens,? he said. ?It?s the natural extension of our spring and fall curbside brush pick-up and an important landfill diversion strategy. If all goes well, we hope to include local food waste at some point in the future, but felt that yard waste is the right first step.?

Halley also said residents should be mindful of using the road to the compost site after a rain because it can be very muddy.

The city mulch pile behind Hy-Vee on West Jefferson Avenue will remain open as a source of free mulch. The mulch pile behind O?Reilly?s on 12th Street will remain open to the public until the mulch is gone and then it will close.

Residents may load the mulch themselves or contact the city maintenance shed 7 a.m. ? 3 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule an appointment. A city employee will use a loader to load a resident?s pickup or dump truck. Mulch is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The city maintenance shed can be reached at 472-4750.