Brandywine Hundred Yard Waste Update

Since the last Senate Bond Bill declared that the yard waste site used by many Brandywine Hundred residents at Cauffiel Park would close July 1, 2010, residents have been buzzing about what this means to them.  Since the State outlawed mixing trash and yard waste a couple of years ago, the choices have been to pay a private hauler a separate fee for yard waste pickup, bring it to Cauffiel between 8:30 and 4:30 on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, or compost it in their own yard.

After a hard winter when many residents lost trees, especially evergreens, people have been trekking to Cauffiel with their cars full of this trash.  I have had my car muddied by the results, and fought traffic jams and muddy ruts and people trying to get in the site while others are trying to get out the single lane. Not a happy site, especially when commercial landscapers brazenly and illegally bring truckloads of stuff rather than paying tipping fees at the dump.

Last night, a meeting was held at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School to discuss the issue with area residents.

State Senator McDowell (in picture) started out by saying that he knows the residents of Brandywine Hundred are unhappy. He was joined by Marjorie Crofts, Air & Waste Director, and  DNREC Secretary Collin O'Mara. They said that within the last 72 hours, after dismissing 18 other sites, they had come to an agreement with the DuPont Company to use their Hay Rd. industrial site, east of I-495 in Edgemoor. Since residents near Cauffiel had major problems with dust raised and asthmatic children after mulch grinding, they tried to find a site farther away from residential areas. Of course, an Edgemoor resident protested that this was across the street (most likely Gov. Printz. Blvd.) and they would hear from her contingent later.

So we wish the State good luck in solving this problem to the satisfaction of residents of Brandywine Hundred, although it still means jamming this stuff in the car. A private contractor who already has a mulching operation next to the proposed site would maintain it and grind the mulch, which he gets to keep and sell.