Composting

About

The Winona Compost Site is operated under contract by Today's Tree Service.

Phone:  (608) 781-8733

Hours of Operation:  

  • Mon - Fri   Noon-6:00 PM
  • Sat - Sun  9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Who Can Use The Site

Winona County residents delivering bagged or de-bagged yard waste and prunings.

Landscape and lawn service companies.

Haulers delivering bagged or de-bagged yard waste and loads of yard waste and prunings.

Procedures

At Home:

  1. Load your yard waste into reusable containers at home
  2. Keep yard waste separate from brush
  3. Bring only yard waste and brush to the facility

At The Yard Waste Facility:

  1. Check in at the office. (Be prepared to show driver’s license)
  2. Pay your required fee
  3. De-bag or unload your yard waste at the specified location
  4. Unload brush at the specified location
  5. Take your containers home. Reuse them!
  6. Yard Waste: 
    • Garden wastes
    • Grass
    • Leaves
    • Prunings
    • Sod stripping
    • Weeds
  7. Brush: Limbs, Branches, Logs

Yard Waste Banned From Landfill

Effective January 1, 1992, all yard waste was banned from landfill disposal by State of Minnesota law. Yard waste can no longer be put in garbage bags or garbage cans for collection with refuse.

  • Yard waste was banned from landfills for three reasons:
    • Yard waste makes up an annual average of 12% of waste in landfills
    • Yard waste can be easily and naturally composted into a valuable soil amendment, and
    • Yard waste produces methane gas in landfill conditions.
  • Uses for Yard Waste Compost and Wood Chip
    • Chips are used primarily as a mulch around shrubs and trees and in flower beds to control weeks and conserve moisture. Compost can be used for the same purposes.
    • Chips can also be used for pathways and to stabilize soft soil.
  • Compost can be used in clay soils to improve the moisture holding capacity and soil texture.
  • Compost added to a soil with poor organic content will increase the utilization of plant nutrients.
  • Compost can be substituted for peat moss when preparing a potting soil
  • When using compost is a starter bed or a potting mix, it is recommended that one part of compost be mixed with two parts of soil.
  • The pH of compost is slightly alkaline and will reduce liming requirements on acid soils.

Products Available

  • Compost
  • Compost Tips
  • Firewood
  • Logs
  • Lumber
  • Mulch
  • Wood Chips
  • FREE WOOD MULCH FOR WINONA RESIDENTS

For best results apply your compost in the fall.

Every time you tear open your trash bag, you waste 17 cents. Reuse it.

For information on backyard composting call - Winona County Environmental Services at 457-6405