Casper residents should think twice before tossing yard clippings in the garbage. In May, the city will begin implementing its ban on putting yard waste in dumpsters to be landfilledas a cost cutting measure.
Casper has a composting program that turns yard waste into wood chips and compost for soil, but branches, grass, leaves and other organic matter still make up about 18-percent of what the city pays to put in the landfill.
Municipal Solid Waste Director Cindie Langston says the yard waste ban will take five years to go into full effect, but it will be a cost-effective move for the city.
“In eight years, it saves about half-a-million dollars, which is significant. That’s a whole year’s worth of lined landfill space.”
Langston says residents who drop off yard waste at the compost yard will not have to pay a tipping fee, and will receive a voucher for free wood chips or compost. Others can pay 10-dollars per month to have the city collect their yard waste for them.
