• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Loss of City Compost-Dumping Licenses Leaves Local Landscapers Holding the Bag

Posted on: Friday, 14 October 2005, 18:00 CDT

By DANIEL BARBARISI Journal Staff Writer

WARWICK - Like most New Englanders, landscapers love fall: it means pumpkins, apple cider, doughnuts and beautiful falling leaves.

And leaves mean money. Landscapers do a great business collecting them and hauling them to massive compost piles.

But this year, the City of Warwick is pulling the landscapers' dumping licenses for its compost site, just as the leaves are starting to tumble down. And the landscapers are scrambling for other options.

"Fall is coming, and the leaves have to go somewhere," said Ken Quaranto, owner of KDQ Landscaping. "We're stuck with the problem -- where are we going to dump our leaves?"

As of Oct. 31, that won't be Warwick's problem. On that date, the landscapers' one-year licenses will expire, and the city will not offer renewals to any of them. The compost pile, behind the highway garage on Sandy Lane, will be available for use only by householders.

Public Works Director David Picozzi said that the city had no choice. The compost pile, he said, is far over capacity, creating a stench and raising the threat of a fine by the state Department of Environmental Management.

The authorized capacity of the 5.2-acre pile is 12,000 cubic yards. Recently it contained as much as 34,000 cubic yards.

The DEM is scheduled to inspect the site in December and decide whether to reissue the city's permit to operate the facility.

"There's just too much material coming in, and not enough going out. We're probably not in compliance now if we were inspected," Picozzi said.

The compost facility is a moneymaker for the city, bringing in millions of dollars. Warwick charges landscapers to bring yard waste in, and then sells the waste for yard use once it is composted. Landscapers are charged $1,500 for a dumping license, and $300 for each additional truck used under that license.

But the facility, Picozzi said, is understaffed and unable to deal with the volume. He said there were only three options: close it to drop-offs from private citizens, end curbside pickup of yard waste, or box out the commercial landscapers.

"This wasn't a decision we made overnight. We struggled with this decision," Picozzi said.

The volume, Picozzi said, is contributing to a stench that makes the entire neighborhood nearly unlivable, a reality which Main Avenue resident Shirley Kirkland is well acquainted with.

"My yard has such a horrible odor to it that we can't even sit to eat," she said. "The odors are continuous. I never open my windows, never. I never sit outside. We never grill. And I have a pool that hasn't been used once this year because of the odor."

Kirkland and other residents would like the compost pile relocated, but Picozzi said there is no other land available.

Picozzi came before the City Council on Tuesday night to discuss the decision. Several landscapers came to the council as well, hoping to reach a compromise with the city, to at least give them a dumping option for the rest of this year.

Paul Riecke, owner of All Seasons Lawn Care, said that the landscapers would be happy to strictly limit their dumping. He said he and others would also pledge not to dump waste from customers outside the city.

"If the compost station becomes overwhelmed, we all lose," Riecke said.

Quaranto said that several other landscapers have already decided to quit hauling leaves in anticipation of the city's decision.

It's not the end of the world for the landscapers -- they will still be able to drive their waste to the state Central Landfill, in Johnston. But there, they will pay much higher rates and go a greater distance.

Picozzi said he will stick to his guns, for now. If, come next fall, the city can revamp the way it runs its composting operation, it is possible that permits will be issued to the landscapers again, he said.

Source: Providence Journal

More News in this Category