PHOTO #1: Environmental Services Director Darryl Lesak stands next to a finished pile of compost at the City’s compost facility. The facility sells compost in bulk or by the bag.
If you’re a gardener, the tree limbs and yard waste you leave out for the City may come back to you as compost for your plants.
Organic items picked up by Environmental Services are taken to the City’s compost facility, which is managed by Garden-Ville. There, they are mixed with decontaminated biosolids from Public Works to produce nitrogen-rich compost that the City sells to residents.
A discount on compost
PHOTO #2: Yard waste and tree limbs sit in a pile at the City’s compost facility after being collected from residents’ yards. These materials will be ground into chips, mixed with biosolids and left to decompose.
The compost facility is offering a 20% discount on bulk compost purchases (more than one cubic yard) through Oct. 31.
Environmental Services Director Darryl Lesak, an avid gardener, explained that nitrogen-rich compost helps to reduce the need for watering and fertilizer and makes plants greener and healthier overall.
“I used compost on my plants for three years, and for the next three years I didn’t have to use fertilizer,” Lesak said. “They were some of the strongest plants I’ve ever seen.”
The compost has no smell, and unlike fertilizer, it can be applied to a lawn during dry conditions without causing damage.
To purchase compost, contact Garden-Ville at 361-897-1500 or visit their facility at 18125 FM 1686. Compost may be purchased in bulk or by the bag. Delivery is available for a fee.
Yard waste and tree limb pickups
PHOTO #3: A screener machine at the City’s compost facility separates coarse chips from compost that has finished decomposing. The chips will be mixed with biosolids again so they can continue decomposing.
To find out when yard waste is picked up in your area, visit www.victoriatx.gov/service-schedule. Yard waste consists of leaves, grass clippings, hedge trimmings and small branches. Yard waste must be collected in paper bags, not plastic.
To schedule a tree limb pickup, contact Environmental Services at 361-485-3220 or submit a request online at www.victoriatx.gov/onlineservicerequest.