Charles City compost site planning restrictions to curb misuse

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Changes are on the way for the Shaw Avenue Compost Site.

Operated by the city and funded by a charge on city water bills, the compost site serves as a place for Charles City residents to drop off yard waste, from leaves and branches to brush and fallen trees. The resulting compost and wood chips are available free of charge to Charles City and Floyd County residents.

Traditionally, the site is open 24 hours a day for Charles City residents to drop off and pick up materials at their leisure. However, an influx of illegal dumping has resulted in the city making plans to restrict access.

“People are dumping garbage,” said Street Department Superintendent Cory Spieker. “It’s too big to keep control of.”

Spieker says that they’ve found discarded mattresses, building materials, and other large items discarded at the site. Most recently, city workers found several piles of concrete deposited at the far end of the site, just a short distance away from a sign explicitly forbidding dumping concrete.

“Somebody drove right by that sign three different times,” said Spieker.

Along with people dumping prohibited materials, the site’s “open door policy” has been abused by out-of-towners, with people coming from neighboring counties to dump trees and branches.

Though the site is monitored by cameras and regularly patrolled by law enforcement, illegal dumping continues from people that either avoid detection or take the fine as the cost of using the site.

As a result of the excess dumping, the compost pile has gotten too big to handle, accumulating more material than can be safely stacked. Likewise, too many discarded trees at the site coming in from out-of-town have put a heavier workload on the city, increasing the expense of chipping them.

“It’s more of a burden for the people who are paying for it,” said Spieker.

To curb illegal dumping, Spieker has proposed adding a second gate to the site, leaving an open area near the front for people to deposit yard waste but restricting access to the larger piles deeper in. Residents with regular sized loads will still be able to drop off their yard waste at the front of the site while those with larger deposits will have to make arrangements with the city to unlock the second gate.

The exact system has yet to be determined, but Spieker says that residents will still have access to the same service, though it may require a little more planning.

“There’s going to be some growing pains,” said Spieker. “Everybody will still have access.”