Steaming Chopped Mulch Free for Bayside Residents

Massive, steaming piles of mulch are available for the third year in a row at Bayside Village Hall.

From the approximately 1,500 yards of yard waste — branches, shrubs and stumps— the village collected, Bayside saves about $25,000 per year by processing it and making it available to residents year-round for free, instead of sending those materials to a landfill. The nillage also delivers the mulch in five-yard increments to residents for $75 per truckload.

"It's quite the operation how they make the mulch," Village Manager Andy Pederson said. About a month ago, trucks made their way around Bayside collecting leaves,  garden debris, twigs or brush from residents as they worked on cleaning up their yards. Instead of sending that waste to a landfill for a fee, the village recycles these organic products and turns it into "some really good stuff," according to Pederson.

Massive trucks move the steaming piles of organic debris into the back of what looks like a semitruck, where a huge cylinder covered in spikes spins and chops the debris into teeny little pieces. It then shoots out of a conveyor belt into a new pile, which is then distributed to residents.

But why are the piles steaming? "The yard waste that has been collected and stored has begun the decomposition process," Alex Henderson, director of community and utility services said. "When this happens, the organic materials can reach very high temperatures, and when exposed to the cooler air, causes steam — similar to your cup of hot coffee steaming."

"By the end we will likely have around 3,500 yards of mulch created," Henderson said.

Prepared mulch can be picked up during normal business hours just north of Village Hall for free.