Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 16, 1994 TAG: 9403160150
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But shrubs can shrug it off.
Still, if you've picked up free mulch at Montgomery's Mid-County Landfill in the last two weeks, don't fret.
Landfill operators have given away mulch made up mainly from the stockpile generated by limbs and trees downed by last June's windstorm, according to Randall Bowling, the county's public facilities director and engineer. Some of the newly ground mulch has been blended in, but not enough to spark gardening angst.
Joe Hunnings, Virginia Cooperative Extentsion director for Montgomery County, wanted to get the word out about the potential hazards of newly ground limbs and branches to herbaceous, or nonwoody, plants.
As of Monday, the landfill had given away 917 tons of mulch, County Administrator Betty Thomas said. Some people have asked specifically for the new mulch, Bowling said.
Hunnings worries that people may take the fresh mulch "and put it on beds that may have bulbs or other herbaceous-type plants that would be particularly sensitive to the acids that would be leached out of that green wood."
The nouveau mulch is not dangerous for woody shrubs, but still is not ideal, he said.
The older mulch has had time to cure from sitting out in the heat, rain and cold since June. "The new stuff really ought to be stockpiled for at least several months" before use, Hunnings said.
March isn't the best time to mulch any way, because it slows root growth instead of allowing the soil to warm up, Hunnings said. In the summer, on the other hand, mulch can reduce moisture loss and soil erosion.
Bowling said the stream of mulch seekers has been fairly consistent. The county Board of Supervisors voted to give it away Feb. 23 as a means of disposing of the thousands of tons of storm debris generated by the Feb. 11 ice storm that struck the New River Valley. Normally there is a $15 per ton charge for mulch. The offer expires May 28.
"The last couple of nice days, I've had a guy loading full time," Bowling said.
People took away 90 tons of mulch the first weekend alone.
The mulch pickup time runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, but the landfill staff has left a small, load-it-yourself pile in the parking area for off times.
Debris and garbage drop off continues as usual from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
On Monday, the Board of Supervisors extended the waiver of the usual $38 per ton tipping fee on storm-related debris until April 30. The normal $53 per ton fee on garbage is still being charged.
The landfill already has collected 2,200 tons of debris, Bowling said. The supervisors are using general tax revenues to pay the storm-related tipping fees at the landfill, which though run by the government, is a self-supporting operation.
The board declared a state of emergency for the first ice storm and is seeking federal disaster aid to cover the cost of the debris cleanup and disposal.
On Friday, President Clinton declared two cities and 61 counties in Western Virginia, including the four counties in the New River Valley, a major disaster area because of the February ice storm. Montgomery will be eligible to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for up to 75 percent of the cost of removing debris.
by CNB