DOVER – DNREC’s Polly Drummond Hill demonstration yard waste drop-off site in northern New Castle County, which has been in intermittent operation since 2007, will open on April 6, 2019 and then will be permanently closed on June 30, 2019. After that, yard waste material will no longer be accepted at the Polly Drummond Hill site. The site will be restored to its natural state and will be included in the White Clay Creek State Park master planning process.

The Polly Drummond Hill site is the last of three “pilot” yard waste drop-off sites opened by DNREC to help with the transition of New Castle County yard waste disposal away from the Cherry Island landfill as it neared capacity. The property is part of DNREC’s White Clay Creek State Park and will return to a natural setting within the park. With the development of other nearby yard waste drop-off and collection options, and concerns regarding invasive species such as the spotted lanternfly, DNREC is closing the Polly Drummond Hill site.

New Castle County residents who have used the Polly Drummond Hill site now have nearby private operations for disposal of their yard waste, including:

• Holland Mulch South Chapel Yard Waste Site
  1034 South Chapel Street (Route 72), Newark, DE 19702
  302-737-1000; www.hollandmulch.com
• Holland Mulch
  135 Hay Road, Edgemoor, DE 19809
  302-737-1000; www.hollandmulch.com
• DSWA Cherry Island Landfill
  12th Street and Hay Road, Wilmington, DE 19809
  800-404-7080; www.dswa.com

DNREC also reminds New Castle County residents that many waste hauling companies in Delaware offer yard waste collection services to customers. A current list of waste haulers and their contact information can be found on the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s website https://dswa.com/resources/licensed-haulers/. In some cases, curbside waste customers may already be paying for a yard waste collection service, but might not be using it. Yard waste collection also may be added to existing service contracts. Additionally, there are landscaping companies that offer yard waste collection. New Castle County residents are encouraged to compare and choose the best option for yard waste removal needs.

DNREC’s Recycling Program also reminds Delawareans that yard waste is banned from the state’s landfills, so it cannot be placed in trash containers. Yard waste typically consists of materials such as grass clippings, leaves, brush, small limbs (4” in diameter or less), Christmas trees or other vegetative materials.

Additional resources for managing yard waste including other drop-off locations can be found at de.gov/yardwaste. This site also includes a link to a new DNREC brochure on managing residential yard waste. For more information on yard waste in Delaware, please call DNREC’s Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances, 302-739-9403, option #1.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 60

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DOVER – Delaware’s Council on Boiler Safety will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 27 in the Department of Veterans Affairs Conference Room, 802 Silver Lake Blvd., Dover, DE 19904.

The Council will discuss draft Boiler Safety Regulations; specifically maintenance requirements for boilers and air cannon/pressure vessels. For more information about the meeting, including the agenda, please visit the Delaware Public Meeting Calendar at https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/Meeting/62531.

For more information on boiler safety and tank management in Delaware, please call DNREC’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances’ Tank Management Section at 302-395-2500.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 53

DOVER – Delaware’s Recycling Public Advisory Council (RPAC) will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Avenue, Lewes, DE 19958. For more information about the monthly RPAC meeting, including the agenda, please go to Public Meeting Calendar.

The Recycling Public Advisory Council was enacted into law by Senate Bill 234 in May 2010, and charged with advising the Governor’s Office, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority on all aspects of recycling, including: development of grant criteria and selection of applications; a methodology for measuring recycling rates; and possible outreach activities designed to achieve higher recycling rates.

For more information about RPAC, please visit https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/waste-hazardous/recycling/recycling-public-advisory-council/, or contact Adam Schlachter, DNREC Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Section, at 302-739-9403, ext. 1.

Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 10

Take your tree to a yard waste site or contact your waste collector

DOVER – DNREC encourages Delawareans to give their recycling spirit a boost after the holiday season by taking their Christmas trees to one of many yard waste recycling facilities located throughout the state. Christmas trees will be accepted free of charge for recycling from Delaware residents at a number of facilities listed below; other drop-off sites may charge a fee as noted. The Department also reminds residents that Christmas trees are no longer accepted for recycling at any of DNREC’s Delaware State Parks.

“Recycling Christmas trees has been an environmentally-friendly tradition for many years, and we hope that Delawareans will continue that tradition this holiday season,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin.

Residents can bring in their trees as early as today’s date and as late as Jan. 28, 2019, but should contact a facility beforehand for specific hours and details. Trees will not be accepted from commercial haulers or tree vendors without prior approval. Artificial decorations, including hooks, wire, tinsel, flocking (fake snow), and ornaments, as well as wood and metal tree stands, must be removed from all trees before dropping them off for recycling.

Only Christmas trees will be accepted for free from Delaware residents. Facilities may charge a fee for other yard waste. Other locations throughout the state, including some businesses, waste haulers, and landscapers, also accept Christmas trees for recycling for a fee. Also, your regular trash hauler may offer special collection dates for Christmas trees in January, and municipal or regional collection or drop-off events may be held in your area.

Christmas tree recycling saves valuable landfill space in Delaware. More than 180,000 tons of yard waste, including grass, leaves, brush, trees, and other lawn maintenance and landscaped materials, was recycled throughout the state in 2017. Prior to Delaware’s yard waste ban, many of these materials – considered a resource for composting and reuse rather than waste – were deposited in landfills, taking up valuable space and limiting local markets for mulch and compost products.

Christmas trees may be dropped off by Delaware residents at the following locations:

New Castle County

Copeland’s Mulch Depot (Free for trees purchased at Copeland’s; otherwise $5)
2 Honeysuckle Drive, Stanton, DE 19804; phone 302-633-9536
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.*
Closed until Jan. 2

Polly Drummond Hill Road Community Yard Waste Demonstration Site (FREE)
Located in the Pike Creek area on Polly Drummond Hill Road, about 1/2 mile north of Kirkwood Highway.
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., through Jan. 13. The site will close starting Jan. 14; for more information, visit www.de.gov/yardwaste.

Kent County

Kent County will collect Christmas trees on residents’ regular trash days from Jan. 7-11 and 14-18 for customers in trash districts with yard waste collection service.

Sussex County

Grizzly’s Landscape Supply Service ($10/tree)
14680 Coastal Highway, Milton, DE 19968, phone 302-644-0654
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.*

Mr. Mulch (Free Christmas Tree Recycling)
22288 Coverdale Road, Seaford, DE 19973, phone 302-629-5737
Hours: Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-4 p.m.*

Millville Organic Center (Free Christmas Tree Recycling)
Whites Neck Road (0.5 miles North of Route 26) Millville, DE 19967, phone 302-423-2601
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.*
NOTE: Closed Dec. 24-Jan. 2, reopens Jan. 3.

Selbyville Mulch, Stone, & Soil (free for active customers within the last 6 months)
38205 DuPont Boulevard, Selbyville, DE 19975, phone 302-436-8286
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.*

Stockley Materials (Free Christmas Tree Recycling)
25136 DuPont Boulevard, Georgetown, DE 19947, phone 302-856-7601
Hours: Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m.*

*Please call ahead as businesses may alter their hours of operation around the holidays.

Delawareans are also reminded that Jan. 13, 2019 is the last day to drop materials off at DNREC’s Polly Drummond Hill Road yard waste site, which will close for maintenance Jan. 14.

For more information about yard waste, including drop-off sites, visit DNREC’s website, www.de.gov/yardwaste, or call 302-739-9403, ext.1.

Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 341

DOVER – Delaware’s Recycling Public Advisory Council (RPAC) will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24 at the Grass Dale Center in Fort Delaware/Fort DuPont State Park, 108 North Reedy Point Road, Delaware City, DE 19706.The RPAC meeting agenda can be found on the Public Meeting Calendar.

The Recycling Public Advisory Council was enacted into law by Senate Bill 234 in May 2010, and charged with advising the Governor’s Office, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority on all aspects of recycling, including: development of grant criteria and selection of applications; a methodology for measuring recycling rates; and possible outreach activities designed to achieve higher recycling rates.

For more information about RPAC, please visit https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/waste-hazardous/recycling/recycling-public-advisory-council/ or contact Adam Schlachter, DNREC Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Section, at 302-739-9403, Ext. 1.

For more information about the monthly RPAC meeting, including the agenda, please go to https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/Meeting/60774.

Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 278