Compost Facility

In 1995, Earth Conservancy established a fully operational, large-scale yard and leaf waste composting operation in Newport Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  The facility processes an average of 8,000 tons of yard waste material annually. 

The facility accepts yard and leaf waste from local municipalities and residents.  Donations are accepted to offset operating costs, and a small fee is charged for bulk drop-off and to landscapers who use the facility.

 

Facility will Accept:

  • Grass/Lawn clippings
  • Tree branches/trunks up to 6” in diameter
  • Leaves
  • Natural Christmas trees 

Facility will not accept:

  • Nails or other metal
  • Painted wood
  • Construction materials
  • Plastic, including plastic bags of any type

General Hours:

Mon-Fri - 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.    PUBLIC USE: 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

 

Fee Schedule for Contractors using Compost Facility

Check with compost facility personnel for availability: 736-6609

Please check with personnel when dropping off and picking up compost.

 

Directions to the Compost Facility:

  • Rte 81 to Exit 164 (Rte 29)
  • Rte 29 North to Exit 2 (Middle Road) South Main Street Wilkes-Barre
  • Make a Left onto Middle Road
  • Follow Middle Road until it ends (at stop sign)
  • Make a Left at Stop Sign
  • Follow road, (horse shoe like curve to right) but be sure to bear Right -- avoid roads on Left
  • At next stop sign, make a Left onto the Kirmar Parkway
  • Stay on Kirmar for 2 ˝ miles
  • Earth Conservancy Compost facility will be on the Left hand side of the road
  • If you enter Glen Lyon, you have gone too far

 

Contact Nick Kratz, compost foreman, with questions: 570-736-6609 
 

The photos below show the composting process.

 
The first step in the composting process is drop-off by area municipalities, residents and landscape businesses.
Once leaf and yard waste materials have been unloaded, a front end loader is used to combine the leaf and yard waste into manageable piles for grinding.
The grinding machine can handle a variety of different sizes of waste materials.
After combining materials, everything is passed through the grinder. The ground yard waste resembles a course mulch as it begins the long process of becoming compost.
The grinder was purchased in partnership with Sugar Notch Borough and the PA Department of Environmental Protection. It can handle a greater capacity of leaf and yard waste than previous shredders.
A front end loader deposits yard waste into one end of the grinder, while coarse mulch is ejected from the other end. Once the waste material has gone through the grinding process, it resembles a course mulch.
Shredded material is placed in windrows, or long columns, and periodically turned by the row-turner to enhance and speed the decomposition process.
Finished compost is screened to remove coarse materials, which are re-ground.
The decomposing mulch produces heat and steam from within the piles, which are then turned to aerate and speed decomposition. When necessary, water is added to facilitate decomposition.
After several months of decomposition, the rich dark compost is used for land reclamation activities and is available for use in landscaping by area residents, businesses and landscapers. Completed compost material is used on reclamation projects such as this in Newport Township, Luzerne County. The entire process can take up to 8 months depending on the material type and weather conditions.
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