Compost dump stays busy

There was a pretty steady flow of visitors to the compost site north of Chisago City last weekend...over 70 had signed-in before noon, according to the site manager. The disposal site is on acreage near the Chisago Lakes Joint Sewer Wastewater Treatment Facility, just north of the #19 and Lofton Ave. four way intersection. (Stay to the right when the driveway forks.) Free disposal of leaves and small diameter brush is available to residents of Chisago City, Lindstrom, Wyoming and Stacy: cities that pay extra into the sewer commission for their residents to use this land. If you can’t show proof of residency (ie: driver’s license) you will be asked to pay a fee per bag or trailerload. Finished compost (decomposed organics) is piled in a separate area for use by anyone who can haul it away.

The site opens at 2 p.m. Wednesdays, and closes by about 5 p.m. because it gets dark, the manager explained. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (The City of North Branch provided leaf pick-up with a service that uses equipment vacuuming leaves raked into city streets between Oct 16 to November 1. Five sections of the city were given deadlines for leaves to be placed into the street.)