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<br /> dcr that the leaf recycling program is ground surface. (The Ohio EPA adds cubic yards of compost which re-
<br /> considered one of the city's most suc- that after a site is used for several mained after the nursery removed their
<br /> 6 cessful projects. years,the soil will naturally innoculate supply was used for top dressing many
<br /> the new windrows and speed corn- construction sites and repairs to snow
<br /> Wellesley, Massachusetts posting.) damaged areas. Another 500 cubic
<br /> The town of Wellesley, Massa- A recent report by Leonard Phillips, yards were given to residents to im-
<br /> chusetts (pop. 28.000) has a full- Superintendent of Wellesley's Park prove their gardens.The total of 12,000
<br /> fledged leaf composting program and Tree Division, explains the major cubic yards of leaf mold represents the
<br /> which began, unofficially and on a components now used in leaf corn- accumulation of three or four years of
<br /> small-scale, after a hurricane in 1938. posting: • leaf collections.
<br /> The town started a leaf collection pro- —Air: ideally, perforated pipes Complio ns with Wellesley's leaf
<br /> gram at that time, and over the years; should be run through the compost pile composting operation, after they fi-
<br /> began to use the decomposed leaves, to allow air to be forced into it. The nally came up with an effective collec-
<br /> applying them to grass. Impressed more practical solution and the one tion ordinance for residents, center
<br /> with the results of using the leaf mold now used is to loosely stack the leaf mostly around weatl r mel ion. and
<br /> on grass, public works officials began compost in long, narrow rows. leaf collection. Frozen leaves and
<br /> experimenting with the leaf mold. —Turning:turning mixes and reaer- snow slow down the collection proc-
<br /> They gradually started sifting and ates the compost.The minimum inter- ess; a snowblower has been adapted
<br /> adding sand to lighten it up, which en- val is four days, the more practical is for use in collection. The other major
<br /> abled them to use leaf mold as a growth one month. The piles can be turned complication was with residents ruing
<br /> medium for street tree plantings, ath- most practically by using a front end near the leaf dumping site who corn-
<br /> letic field construction and mainte- loader. plained of odors of the finished leaf
<br /> nance, planting of bulbs, shrubs and —Moisture:rainfall is generally suf- compost awaiting removal.
<br /> ornamental trees. ficient, but a sprinkler may be neces-
<br /> In 1%9,Wellesley purchased a 360T sary to supplement natural rainfall and Tenafly, New Jersey
<br /> Royer Soil and Compost Shredder for to insure the moisture content remains Tenafly, New Jersey (pop. 15,000),
<br /> $13,335. The machine required rela- at a wet, but not dripping condition. which encompasses an arca of 4.5
<br /> tively low maintenance and by 1972 (The Ohio EPA report states that the square miles, has been composting
<br /> Wellesley had approached a 5,000 optimum moisture content in corn- leaves for over 15 years,in one form or
<br /> cubic yard (25,000 yards of corn- posting is 45% by wet weight.) another. At first, the leaves were
<br /> pacted,collected leaves)generation of —Nutrients: nitrogen is very im- picked up from the Borough's parks
<br /> material due in large part to a complete portant. Best sources would be to add and public properties, stockpiled and
<br /> outside leaf burning ban.The unit was manure to the compost during the left to rot. With this procedure,it took
<br /> years before the leaves started
<br /> used to alternately screen the corn- turning procedure. If manure is un- several
<br /> posting leaf pile as well as sand swept available, the next best source of ni- to decompose. As time went on, more
<br /> up from the streets. The Town was trogen is sludge, grass clippings, open space was developed into homes,
<br /> producing the loam for a little more weeds and finally inorganic nitrogen and burning was prohibited. The
<br /> than S1 a cubic yard,where such mate- fertilizer. Borough was then faced with a situa-
<br /> rial was going on the market in quantity —Heat: optimum temperature is tion of what to do with 40,000 to 45,000
<br /> at S5 to S6 per cubic yard unscreened. 140°F(60°C). This is no trouble to ob- cubic yards of loose leaves rake-d Br
<br /> In 1972,Wellesley's leaf composting taro in summer, but composting over the green lawns into the streets for pick
<br /> process consisted of collecting the winter requires special insulating(i.e., up each year. The solution was a
<br /> leaves which were then dumped in hay) which will also protect the pile large-scale leaf composting project.
<br /> The leaves are picked up with ar windrows that were turned over from winter rains. Since the top three
<br /> large
<br /> vacu-
<br /> two to three times during the winter feet of surface area are unlikely to de- urns,ranging in capacity from 14 to 20
<br /> months. Because their two sites were compose as readily as the interior of cubic yards of compacted leaves.
<br /> large enough(101 acres) to handle up the pile, when turning the pile,exteri- Gradually, however, Tenafly is shift-
<br /> to three years accumulation of leaves, ors should be moved to center of the ing from collecting leaves by vacuum
<br /> Wellesley did not attempt to speed up new pile. machines to bulk loading into the back
<br /> decomposition.The finished leaf mold —Bacteria: while commercial bac- of garbage trucks which have a larger
<br /> would then be shredded,once or twice tenial compost-starters are available, capacity and also compact the leaves
<br /> depending upon desired use, and then occasional mixing of compost with allowing greater volume.
<br /> applied to landscaping and turfbuilding composted garden soil should provide The leaves are then transported to
<br /> projects. sufficient quantities of bacteria seed. the four acre composting site and
<br /> By 1978,Wellesley had developed a "This method where we use long dumped into long windrows of 10-12
<br /> more extensive windrow composting windrows of leaves turned over feet wide, 8-10 feet high, by 150-200
<br /> system, which they are using at this monthly has a 15.4 year decomposition feet long. A dozer is used to stack the
<br /> time. The collected leaves are placed period,"states Phillips."This is much leaves in rows and to maintain neat-
<br /> in windrows 10.to 12 feet in width and more efficient than our previous ness of the site. Moisture,air and heat
<br /> eight to ten feet in height with at least method which took three or four years are the three factors needed in the leaf
<br /> • six feet separation between windrows. to decompose the leaves." composting process.
<br /> The top of the windrow is concave al- During 1979, 10,000 cubic yards of If the leaves are extremely dry the
<br /> lowing it to collect its own moisture, composted leaf mold were sold to a first several weeks of pick-up,water is
<br /> lessening water requirements. Witt- nursery for a.credit of 52.350 worth of added to the windrows. Breaking up
<br /> drows are constructed on a natural plant material. Approximately 1,500 the compacted loads with the dozer
<br /> September/October 1980 33
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