Yard Waste Facility
The Borough Farm is open the second Saturday of each month from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm for resident drop-off.
Map to Borough Farm
link to DEP WEBSITE: http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/dep/site/default.asp
link to EPA WEBSITE: http://www.epa.gov/
Collection and Processing
Leaves are collected each fall with a vacuum system. All collected and deposited materials are transported to the Borough Farm, where they are combined with materials from our partnering municipalities prior to processing. Presently, Columbia Borough has partnered with four neighboring townships and boroughs in an effort to maximize compost production and its associated benefits. Our partners include: Millersville Borough, East Hempfield Township, Wrightsville Borough, and Marietta Borough.
Incoming Materials
As materials are brought to the farm, incoming haulers must first weigh their loads. In the summer of 2005, Columbia Borough purchased a weight scale to help ensure accurate weights were recorded. Not only is this important for billing purposes, it also helps the facility operators keep track of the volume of waste being processed.
Leaves are collected each fall with a vacuum system. All collected and deposited materials are transported to the Borough Farm, where they are combined with materials from our partnering municipalities prior to processing. Presently, Columbia Borough has partnered with four neighboring townships and boroughs in an effort to maximize compost production and its associated benefits. Our partners include: Millersville Borough, East Hempfield Township, Wrightsville Borough, and Marietta Borough.
Incoming Materials
As materials are brought to the farm, incoming haulers must first weigh their loads. In the summer of 2005, Columbia Borough purchased a weight scale to help ensure accurate weights were recorded. Not only is this important for billing purposes, it also helps the facility operators keep track of the volume of waste being processed.
Leaves
Once at the farm, the leaves are formed into large windrows (piles) to begin curing. These windrows are maintained by our operators on a regular basis, with scheduled watering and turning cycles to sustain proper decomposition.
Once at the farm, the leaves are formed into large windrows (piles) to begin curing. These windrows are maintained by our operators on a regular basis, with scheduled watering and turning cycles to sustain proper decomposition.
After the leaves have undergone considerable decomposition, they are sent through a trommel screen to remove any trash or contaminating debris
Yard wastes, such as sticks, limbs, and shrubs, must be shredded with a tub grinder prior to windrow formation in order to accelerate decomposition.
After yard waste materials are ground, the trommel screen is used to separate the large woodchips from the small silt materials. Silt materials are then formed into windrows to begin degradation, while the large woodchips are ready for immediate use as mulch.
Similar to the leaves, silt windrows are routinely watered and turned to achieve optimal rates of degradation.
