Compost and mulch giveaway

Does your soil need more nutrients to create a lavish garden? Do you need mulch to reduce the amount of weeds growing and to maintain soil moisture? You’re in luck!

The City is piloting a new program to provide residents free compost and mulch at Bedwell Bayfront Park starting on August 9. Please note there is ongoing construction at the entrance of the park on weekdays. The materials will be left in the park until supplies last and be replenished every other Friday until November 2024. Appointments are not required.

The event is self-serve so please bring your own shovels, gloves and containers to fill.

Compost benefits

Everyone in San Mateo County is required to place all food and plant material into their green bin. The food scraps and yard trimmings are made into compost, which is used to enrich the soil of gardens, parks and farms. Composting also reduces greenhouse gases, which makes using your green bin a great way to fight climate change—right from your own home! These wonderful benefits are why California passed state law SB1383, which made sorting food and plants into the green bin mandatory for everyone. Visit the City’s webpage to learn more about SB 1383.

But composting is only a success if the compost is healthy and free of contaminants, especially plastic.

Plastic that goes into your green bin may go into the soil, so please keep all plastic out of the green bin. Although composters do their best to remove materials that cannot be composted from the collected food and plant trimmings, not all contaminants, especially small pieces of plastic, can be removed. The sorting machinery can also tear plastic bags and packaging, leaving small bits and microplastics in the compost pile.

For healthy compost and clean soil for gardens, parks and farms, we all need to do our part to keep ALL plastic out the green bin. To make high-quality compost, please keep plastics out of the green compost carts and bins. To request free kitchen pail, please contact Recology at 650-595-3900 or learn how to compost at home.

Just remember, “Food In, Plastic Out”:

• Separate food from all plastic packaging, plastic bags, and plastic containers.
• Remove all labels, ties and tags from fruits and vegetables before you put them in the green bin.
• Empty collected food scraps directly into the green bin. If you use a bag to collect your food scraps, use a paper bag. If using a plastic bag, empty all the contents from the plastic bag into the green bin, and put the plastic bag in the trash bin.

Mulch benefits

This mulch material is made from recycling lumber and acts as a natural ground cover to reduce erosion and water loss. It can be used for pathways, sitting areas and planted landscapes and is not certified for use in playgrounds. Nails and metal are removed by a two-step magnet process; however this material is not 100% free from deleterious materials including metal or debris. Mulch helps keep the weeds down, maintain soil moisture and provide a walking surface. The wood chips are generally between 4 inches and 3/8 inches in size and one cubic yard of this material weighs approximately 600lbs.

 

Need more?

If you need more compost in the meantime, feel free to visit Shoreway Environmental Center. The facility offers year-round free compost. Please bring proof of residency and no appointment is needed. Residents are limited to take two 50-lb bags each week.

When

Location

Bedwell Bayfront Park, 1600 Marsh Rd., Menlo Park, CA, 94025, View map