Brandonites take advantage of leaf drop-off

By: 
Jill Meier, Journal editor

“Two big ash trees, a maple tree and a couple of locust trees. They’re beautiful shade trees, but in the fall, it’s a lot of work,” said Jon Hartsuiker as he poured a bag of leaves into the dumpster Saturday. The city is holding two more leaf drop-off days: Saturday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 18. Jill Meier/BV Journal

Jon Hartsuiker was one of hundreds of Brandon residents who took advantage of the first of three free leaf drop-off days organized by the city of Brandon on Saturday.
“We have two big ash trees, a maple tree and a couple of locust trees,” he said. “They’re beautiful shade trees, but in the fall, it’s a lot of work,” he said.
Hartsuiker was one of hundreds of Brandon residents who brought leaves and mulch to the Sunshine Foods parking lot, where Marv’s Sanitary Service had Dumpsters and trucks on hand to haul them away in. Tom Wilford estimates 30,000 to 35,000 tons of leaves and mulch were dumped during the seven-hour process, and he said folks were eager to get rid of their yard waste – and to help others do the same.
“There was a guy here at 7:30 when we pulled in,” Wilford said. “And there was another guy who stayed here about a half-hour just helping people dump bags.”
Nick Pullman took up residency in Brandon less than two months ago, and was pleasantly surprised when a friend alerted him to the city-provided perk.
“It’s amazing, it’s awesome,” Pullman said.
Not all of the leaves will go directly to the Minnehaha County compost pile. Wilford said some are used as cover for an area garden; others are used as bedding for a Dell Rapids cattle operation. In the spring, the leaf bedding acts as a fertilizer when it’s spread over fields.
“It’s ultimate composting,” Wilford said. “It doesn’t get any better for composting than that.”
The city of Brandon has two more free leaf drop-off days scheduled this month: this Saturday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 18, both from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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The Brandon Valley Journal

 

The Brandon Valley Journal
1404 E. Cedar St.
Brandon, SD 57005
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