Tri-Cities join Ferrysburg company's leaf project

Tue, Sep 22, 2009    to del.icio.us

SPRING LAKE — Village Council has approved joining a regional effort to contribute leaves to an environmentally friendly compost project at the VerPlank Trucking Co. dock in Ferrysburg.

The recycling project comes with a bonus: It will save the village more than $1,700 a year in leaf disposal costs.

The village has been paying the city of Ferrysburg about $3,900 per year for leaf disposal. Monday's unanimous approval by Village Council will drop the cost to $2,200 annually, and the village could recoup more in the near future by parting ways with a jointly owned tractor formerly used in leaf composting with Ferrysburg.

Village Manager Ryan Cotton said Ferrysburg still has a need for the tractor, but the village does not. Cotton said he will be speaking with Ferrysburg officials to best determine a fair and equitable way to dissolve the tractor partnership.

Grand Haven City Council and Ferrysburg City Council both also unanimously approved joining the regional compost partnership at their respective meetings Monday night.

Last week, the Spring Lake Township Board approved the same five-year contract with VerPlank Trucking Co., which calls for local municipalities contributing leaves and other decaying material to be mixed with Grand River dredged soils. VerPlank spokesman Joe Burns said the final outcome is high-quality topsoil.

Burns said his firm needs leaves to mix with dredged river soil to make a viable and eco-friendly compost material.

Municipalities joining the partnership will pay $2,200 each year to defer costs of a leaf shredding machine, according to Burns. The Grand Haven Board of Light & Power and several other businesses are also contributing to the $50,000 costs in machinery needed to mulch the leaves, twigs and grass clippings into suitable compost.

Dredging has been a difficult process in the past, according to Burns, because of the lack of space to deposit the dredged material. He's confident the new technology — mixing dredging with leaves — is a solid recycling project.

Tribune Writer Brian Keilen contributed to this report.