Get ready to compost yard waste with free bags and bins

The town has received a grant of $7,200 from the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation to purchase 20,000 composting bags to help the reduce the fees it pays to dispose of its waste.

Councilman Bill Kelly said that the bags will be packaged in bundles of 10 and can be used to recycle yard waste like sticks, grass and leaves.

Kelly cited last months tipping fees paid to dispose of waste, which were more than $14,700. Composting yard waste instead of sending it to the landfill will have a significant impact on those fees, Kelly said.

In addition to the bags, there are 25 plastic composting bins that will be given to the first 25 residents who call the town offices on Monday, May 21, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The only catch, Kelly said, is that anyone who wants the free bin will have to attend a onehour class on how to make and use compost in home gardens. The class will be at the library, Kelly said, adding that other residents can also take the class.

The bags will be distributed on Saturday, June 2 at two locations: behind the Town Offices at 44 Southwest Ave., and at the transfer station. Kelly said that local Boy Scouts will help with the distribution of the bags.