Grants In Action

City of La Grande: Yard Waste Composting Project

What we are doing?

The City of La Grande applied for a DEQ solid waste reduction grant to purchase and distribute compost bins to city residents and to provide curbside tree limb chipping services. During the grant period of May through December 2001, the La Grande City Council approved a $1.75 per month rate increase for City Garbage Service customers to fund a yard waste depot, which opened in August 2001. All these activities were designed to reduce the amount of yard waste being landfilled, improve air quality by reducing the open burning of yard waste, and promote composting.

The City purchased 250 compost bins and sold them to La Grande citizens for $10. Each bin has a capacity of 21 cubic feet and is manufactured from recycled plastics containers and auto battery cases. After these bins were sold in June 2001, the proceeds were used to purchase an additional 61 bins, which have also been sold. When citizens received their bins, they signed a contract agreeing to leave the bin in La Grande if they move out of town and to participate in a survey after one year of bin usage to help measure the effectiveness of the program. The survey was administered in 2003-2003 and yielded an astounding 89% response rate. Survey results are described in the final report:

• Survey of Home Compost Bin Recipients in La Grande

The curbside tree limb chipping service was provided by City Garbage Service on four Mondays in October and November 2001. City Garbage Service handled all the telephone calls and other logistics. Thirty citizens used the service, and 9.5 tons of material was chipped and added to the compost piles at the local material recovery facility. An additional 276 tons of yard waste was received at the yard waste depot in its first four months of operation. The success of this depot impacted participation in the tree limb chipping portion of the grant project. The depot is currently open from March 1 to November 30, Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where is it?

The City of La Grande in Union County administers this project. Nestled at the feet of the Blue Mountains on the edge of the fertile Grande Ronde Valley, La Grande is a pretty town with a population of just over 12,000 friendly, casual people. It has its own brand of sophistication, due in large part to the presence of Eastern Oregon University. The surrounding national forests, lakes, and rivers provide excellent biking, hiking, skiing, fishing, snowmobiling, camping, and sightseeing opportunities.

Who is involved?

The City of La Grande received a solid waste grant of $15,111 from DEQ in March 2001 for this project. Mike Hyde, the city’s former director of Community Development was the project officer. Several other City employees worked on the project, and community volunteers helped with bin distribution. Scott Fairley, Bruce Lumper, and Linda Hayes-Gorman in DEQ’s offices in Eastern Region provided technical assistance. The yard waste depot and curbside tree limb chipping services were provided by City Garbage Service, owned by Ron and Darin Larvik.

Why we are doing it?

This project is designed to reduce the amount of yard waste being landfilled, improve air quality by reducing the open burning of yard waste, and promote composting. The effect of the project on the City’s generation of solid waste is not known yet. One measure of success is the number of open burning permits requested. According to the La Grande Fire Department, the number of requests for open burning permits decreased from 145 for the fall 2000 burning season to 88 for the fall 2001 burning season. We assume that the decrease in number of open burning permits resulted in a corresponding decrease in open burning and improvement in air quality. In addition, more than 400 calls to the Air Quality Hotline were generated by this program from those who received compost bins and others inquiring about the program, including citizens outside City limits who wanted compost bins.

Through the DEQ grant and the efforts of the La Grande Air Quality Commission and City Garbage Service, the citizens of La Grande made a major change in the way they dispose of yard waste. By providing the option of home composting and composting at the Material Recovery Facility, this project helped reduce the inclination to burn yard debris or haul it to the landfill.

The project officer believes that this type of project is technically and economically feasible in other small cities. A number of citizens from Union County, Island City, Cove, Imbler, and Union have inquired about the project.

Total Project Cost

The $15,111 from DEQ was used to purchase compost bins ($12,315) and to pay a contractor to provide curbside tree limb chipping ($2,796). The City of La Grande provided staff at a cost of $4,494, additional bins and equipment worth $3,173, and supplies at a value of $167. Total project costs were $22,945.

For more information on this project, contact Wes Hare, 541-962-1302.

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