It’s the time of year again to clean up the yard and garden, or so one would think. However, at the City of Steinbach landfill, you can drop off your bags of leaves, grass clippings and other waste 365 days of the year.

Steinbach’s Waste Manager, Eldon Wallman says, the city will continue an eight-year tradition and once again set up compost bins at Woodlawn School and the Stonybrook Middle School starting Saturday, May 8th, from 9am till 3pm. He says, “If you can't make it there on Saturdays, we always have a compost bin here at the landfill site 365 days a year.” You are welcome to drop off all yard waste, like grass and leaves and small branches. They also take waste from the kitchen, like eggshells and coffee including compostable coffee filters, which Wallman says is really good for the compost. However, he advises against meat, including fish or bones.

When it comes to dropping off your compostable items, Wallman askes that you empty the bags yourself, if you are at the City Landfill. If you are at either School Depot, City staff will be making sure no plastic bags get put into the compost bins. “They’ll even help take it out of your trunk or back of your truck. They’ll take care of it for you. You don’t have to touch it. They’re great people working there.”

Wallman wants to point out the city’s new composting slogan “Cut it high and leave it lie”. This is to encourage homeowners to mulch the grass while they mow. That's even better and it’s so healthy for your grass.”  Mulching is all about the ‘blade” Wallman says, “last year many local businesses sold out of these blades.”

The Waste Manager also mentions that their Household Hazardous Waste area, at the City Landfill, has also been quite busy this spring. Residents clean up their sheds and basements and drop off old pesticide containers, disinfectants, and bleach bottles. Wallman adds, including old medicines and notes that “if you have someone that's a diabetic, we take the sharps and the needles”, as well as fluorescent light bulbs and old paint.

And for motivation, Wallman says, “the best part of composting or dropping off Hazardous waste items or even metal, in Steinbach, is that it’s free. There’s no charge to enter the Landfill compound to drop off your compostable and recyclable materials.’ In fact, he says, “you can come from anywhere, absolutely anywhere and we will take your stuff.”

Meanwhile, in the RM of Hanover, CAO Luc Lahaie says, their compost spring program begins this week and runs till June 18th. All 5 communities will have their day of the week to drop off compostable items. Beginning with, Mondays in New Bothwell, Tuesdays in Blumenort, Kleefeld gets it on Wednesdays, Mitchell on Thursday and Grunthal on Fridays.

Lahaie says the touring compost trailer will be accompanied by Eldad Ranch staff and participants, who will be on hand to take your bags. If you drop off paper bags with leaves and grass clippings, those will be tossed right into the trailer. However, all plastic bags will be opened and its contents removed. Lahaie requests that residents not leave compost bags when the site is unattended, as the bags attract rodents, dogs or cats and the torn bags can make it very unsightly, which means extra labour for the staff.

Lahaie would also like to remind residents living in urban centres that the Hanover bylaw restricts the burning of leaves, “because of the possibility of smoke wafting into a neighbour's property, which is especially difficult for people with asthma. So that’s not the best way to get rid of leaves, dead grass or branches”

Once the compost trailers are full, the RM stockpiles the material at their Public Works yard and at the end of the season, they bring it to the Overton Compost facility, in the RM of Ste Anne.

Like the city of Steinbach, Lahaie also asks residents to only drop off grass clippings, leaves and garden waste. However, at this time they can’t accept any kitchen waste like vegetables.

Lahaie notes that if you live in the RM and you forget which day of the week you are able to drop off your compostable items, you can go to their website or check the LED signs in your community.