DE PERE, Wis. (WFRV) – De Pere’s Department of Public Works hopes to encourage residents to use their yard waste facility properly.

Street Superintendent Tony Fietzer says the yard waste facility is a popular place around this time of year due to the nicer weather and Wisconsinites taking care of their yards.

“Generally, what this is, is a place for residents as well as the Town of Ledgeview as they have partnered with us on sharing the cost, can come and drop off brush, yard waste, garden waste, leaves, grass clippings, any of the organic yard materials,” stated Fietzer.

He continued to tell Local 5 News that disposing of waste in the wrong place could cost you and the city.

“Putting yard waste in a garbage can and having it go to our land field not only costs the city money for the tipping fees but as well takes up the vital space of our landfill,” explained Fietzer. 

 Using your local waste facility benefits the environment.  

“Bringing it to a compost facility or a yard waste facility, we’re able to break that material down and potentially even reuse it back in compost or even with yard waste like our brush, we’ll grind it back up as wood chips, we will then sell that back to paper plants, and they will use it for boiler fuel,” said Fietzer. 

The facility is under surveillance 24/7, the department recommends disposing of waste during daylight hours.