Look to your local landfill for top-quality garden compost

Fall is a great time to clean out flower beds, prune trees and do a general yard clean-up before the cold weather sets in. As you’re getting your yard ready for the winter, you might want to think about how compost can help enrich the soil and make it better for planting. But where should you get compost from?

You can certainly go to your local nursery or big box home improvement store for mulch and compost. Or you could go to your local landfill. We know, the landfill, really? Green waste such as tree branches, grass and other kinds of plant material are picked up and taken to a recycling center at your local landfill.

The green debris is ground up and allowed to sit in a section of the landfill and turn into dark, nutritious compost over a period of 8-10 months. Many landfills also turn tree limbs and other wood into wood chips that you can purchase as well.

So what’s the benefit of buying this stuff at the landfill? The quality is probably similar to what you would find at a store. But buy buying it locally, you’re helping to eliminate waste from the landfill and stimulating your local economy. It’s a win-win situation all around.

Before the cold weather ushers in Old Man Winter, go through your yard and do some prep work for the next growing season. Compost and mulch can make a huge difference in your yard. Not only does your yard get to look amazing but you get to be the local eco-hero. You can’t beat that.