The Community Compost Center, located southeast of Marshall is available to all Calhoun County residents. The center accepts most yard waste material. Wood chips are available for sale.
Materials that are accepted include: leaves, grass clippings, weed and plant waste, and brush. Materials may be packaged in the brown paper yard waste bags, or left loose. No plastic bags or other containers will be accepted. Brush must be separated from other materials.
2008 Fee Schedule
Dumping Fees
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
Dumping Fees
Greater than Five Yards $25.00 per load (No exemptions)
Landscape Material for Purchase
Compost (unscreened) $1.00 per container such as a 20 gallon trash can or smaller container
$5.00 Approximately one loader scoop
(½ Cubic Yard, includes loading)
$10.00 per cubic yard
Compost (Screened) $2.00 per container such as a 20 gallon trash can or smaller container
$7.00 Approximately one loader scoop
(½ Cubic Yard, includes loading) $14.00 per cubic yard
2008 Hours of Operation
Monday and Wednesday 9:00 am - noon
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
Saturday 8:00 am to noon
Usual months of operation are late March through November.
Policy for tree waste: All brush and limbs less than 20" in diameter should be put in the brush pile (no stumps please). Loads must be clean and only contain tree waste - no treated wood, old lumber, pallets, railroad ties, etc.
No concrete or tree stumps will be accepted. No brush or limbs over 20" in diameter.
From I-94: take Exit 110 (Old 27) to the south. Continue going south at the Traffic Circle in Marshall (go 1/2 way around it). Follow for 1 1/2 mile to a blinking light (Hughes Street), turn left. Follow through the next light (the street then becomes Homer Road). Follow for 1 mile to Division Drive, turn to the left. The Community Compost Center is located 2 miles down on the right hand side.
The Community Compost Center is a partnership between Calhoun County, Calhoun County Road Commission and Board of Public Works, and the City of Marshall. For any additional information on the Community Compost Center, please call the City of Marshall Department of Public Services Department at 269-781-9812, or Calhoun County Road Commission at 269-781-9841.
Composting is the natural decomposition or breakdown of organic materials, such as yard and kitchen wastes, to produce a healthy soil amendment called humus. Humus is rich in plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; the same ingredients in store bought fertilizers. Humus will help enhance such soil characteristics as the water holding capacity, texture, and overall soil structure.
The compost process, decomposition, takes place naturally on Earth by the normal activities of the Earth's natural recyclers: worms, insects, microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi. These recyclers are easy to care for and under appropriate conditions can increase the rate at which they will decompose organic materials.
The Earth's natural recyclers require a balance in their diet between carbon and nitrogen. This chemistry of composting is very simple to understand in terms of browns and greens. Brown wastes are high in carbon and green wastes are high in nitrogen. The optimal balance for composting is 2 parts Brown to 1 part Green.
Brown Wastes |
Green Wastes |
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Leaves |
Grass |
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Saw Dust |
Fruit Wastes |
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Shredded Paper |
Manure |
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Straw |
Weeds |
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Wood Shavings |
Vegetable Wastes |
Avoid Adding Into Your Compost Pile: Meat & Bones, Dairy Products, Pet Wastes, Cooked Foods, and Yard Wastes with Herbicides & Pesticides.
The rate at which humus is made will depend on the size and type of materials used, moisture content, oxygen, and temperature inside the pile. Depending on the intended use for the finished material the amount of maintenance you provide the compost pile may be minimal.
Tips to increase Humus production:
A new compost pile should be set-up in layers in order to provide a mixture of nutrients spread throughout the pile. This will assist the recyclers to become active throughout the pile as well. After the initial set-up of the pile, new materials may be added when turning the pile.
Build a home composter using small grid fencing (plastic or metal) such as,
5 feet diameter 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch mesh - 24 inch high x 10 feet long
Finished compost is crumbly and will have a consistent black color with a sweet smell. The temperature of the compost/humus will have cooled to around the temperature of the outside air.
If you plan to use your compost indoors you should stack the soil in rows a few inches high for a few days to allow any bugs to migrate elsewhere.
Compost for the garden should be sifted to separate any large bulky materials that may still be present. Large pieces of material may interfere with plant root growth.
Compost as a mulch does not require any preparation and can be spread in layers around trees, under bushes, and in flower beds. It will help to control weeds, erosion, water evaporation, and maintain even soil temperatures.