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COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
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| Vincent Decresenzi,left, and Dr. Steven Mandell load-up on mulch Saturday morning during the city's mulch give-away day held at June Vail Park in Claremont. |
City kicks off successful mulch program
Residents are raving over a small program run by the city to give away free mulch to anyone with a shovel and some cabin space. The program has been praised for conserving water, keeping landfill volume down and reusing the city’s natural resources.
With an urban forest of more than 24,000 trees that are constantly trimmed and maintained, the city produces up to 30 tons of mulch each year, said Stacey Niemeyer of the Community Services Department. Tree trimmings are delivered to the city yard where they are shredded up into tiny pieces using industrial-sized chipper machines.
Before the give-away program was initiated, a contractor hauled away the wood chips and dumped it as green waste. Last year, the city decided to put it to better use.
A pilot program was started in April of 2006 where the city gave away up to 5 tons of mulch on 6 occasions throughout the year. Offered on a first-come, first-served basis, residents would line up at 6 a.m. and the mulch was gone in a matter of hours.
“The first month, we didn’t know how much interest there would be,” Ms. Niemeyer said. “But when it was all gone after 5 hours, we knew it was a hit.”
After the success of the pilot program, the city council decided to make it a permanent offering of the city. Kicking off on Saturday, the new program attracted dozens of residents who made their way to June Vail Park to pick up their free mulch. (story continues below)
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COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy
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| Dr. Steven Mandell shovels mulch into a pickup truck during the city's mulch give-away program held at June Vail Park on Saturday. The city says it will continue to give away mulch and is planning another give-away sometime in February. |
Working on some landscaping in his yard, Dr. Steven Mandell decided to pick up as much mulch as his pickup truck could handle. He likes using the material in his garden because it helps conserve water, smells good and looks nicer than using dirt.
“Its free and it helps me get my exercise,” Dr. Mandell said. “It’s better than using my treadmill.”
The market rate for mulch costs roughly $5 to $6 for a bag of two cubic feet, said David Chisholm, manager at Armstrong Garden Center in Claremont. It is mainly used to deter water evaporation around trees, plants and flower beds.
Five more pickup dates will be held throughout the year. The next date will be held in mid-February, Ms. Niemeyer said.
The exact date and location will be announced on the city’s website, in the city newsletter and on fliers at community centers. Residents are only required to bring their own hauling and storage equipment to pick up as much mulch as they need.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but there is free mulch!” Dr. Mandell said.
