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Yard Waste Composting for Municipalities
Slide Show, Part VI and VII

Nancy Dickson and Tom Richard
July 1989


VI. Publicity

In order to create favorable attitutes toward recycing and composting it is important to notify the public exactly when and how yard waste will be collected. Some publicity techniques include newspaper and radio press releases, posters, and notices in utility bills. Good communication about collection dates should reduce both the amount of foreign material collected with the leaves and the inclusion of yard wastes with other solid wastes destined for the landfill or incinator.
Signs should be posted at the entrance of the composting facility. They should indicate the nature of the project, facility name, operating hours, and business address and telephone number of the operator. There should be signs that direct collection vehicles to the unloading areas and indicate traffic circulation patterns. If there is a drop-off site, there should be directional signs to assist the public in locating the site and signs posting rules for the dellivery of yard waste.

VII. Equipment

Equipment requirements for yard waste processing vary substantially with the type and size of operation. Interlocal agreements between neighboring towns can provide economies of scale which may allow municipalities to buy equipment which is capital intensive.
A front-end loader is the single essential piece of equpment for yard waste composting, and the only equipment used by many community operations. Bucket size ranges from 3/4 to 4 cubic yards and should be dictated by engine size and intended use. A two part drop bucket may be useful in building very large windrows. Prices for front-end loaders equipped with the basic accessories range from about $50,000 to $125,000. A claw attachment for a small loader costs about $10,000.
Windrow turners are designed especially for windrow turning and aeration. The large models are self-propelled and straddle the windrow. Plow fenders gather the materials into a drum. The metal teeth on the rotating drum pick up the materials and cast them to the teeth of the machine. The teeth shred, break up, and aerate the compost and are aligned so that materials are redeposited in a pyramidal windrow. Some models can be connected to water lines so waste can be irrigated as it is turned. The large, self-contained turners can process about 2,000 to 4,000 cubic yards per hour and cost from $100,000 top $185,000.
Smaller units are side mounted on front-end loaders or tractors that are driven between windrows. Loader-mounted units cost from $10,000 to $100,000. If a compost turner is to be used, community officials may prefer to lease a turner or share the cost with one or more other composting projects.
Screening and shredding of leaves before and/or after composting is an optional measure. A shredder is a stationary or trailer-mounted machine that reduces the size of the material. It can cut composting time substantially and improve the quality of the end product. Shredders usually have a limit of 4 to 6 inches in diameter for materials, and cost from $15,000 to $95,000 depending on size and options selected. Because a shredder is only needed for several weeks during the year, a municipality may want to consider renting or sharing it.
Screening assures a uniform size of compost. There are a variety of screening devices that can be used in composting operations including trommel, shaker, oscillating, rotary and scalper screens. Units which include screens, feed hoppers, and conveyors, range in price from $35,000 to $170,000.
Chipping machines are designed bo chip brush, limbs and other woody debris with hammers or knives. Those used for typical municipal applications are fed by hand and have chipping blades that range in size from 12 to 18 inches in diammeter. Chipping machines do not separate undesirable materials from the chips. Hand loaded commercial chippers cost from $6,000 to $40,000.

Tub grinders are designed to crush wood and brush that are 18 to 24 inches in diameter. They are characterized by a rotating tub-type intake system. The rotation moves materials across a fixed floor containing hammermills which shear the material. As material becomes smaller, it is forced through a screen and onto an elevator belt which discharges the ground material into standing piles or into a transfer vehicle. Tub grinders are loaded with a bucket loader or a conveyor belt.

Tub grinders are available in different models which have significantly different capabilities. Grinders cost about $60,000 to $140,000 and require regular maintenance, including roation and replacement of the hammers.

Continue on with slideshow: Part VIII. Markets.


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This page was created on May 1, 1996
This page was last updated October 2000