Politics & Government

Council Approves Issuing Compost Center ID Cards

The Saucon Valley Compost Center's popularity with local residents has grown considerably in recent years, Lower Saucon Township manager Jack Cahalan told council March 7.

A proposal by manager Jack Cahalan to issue ID cards to residents was unanimously approved by township council March 7.

Cahalan said the use of ID cards will help improve public access to the facility, which is located at 2011 Springtown Hill Road and is due to open for the season April 13. 

Cahalan said the cards would be issued to residents at both Lower Saucon Town Hall and .

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Due to the growing popularity of the compost center over the past few years, traffic tie-ups have become common at its entrance, where visitors have been required to sign in with a public works department employee before driving through to the mulch piles, he explained.

The fact that compost center users often make multiple trips in a single day has exacerbated the problem, he added.

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Cahalan also recommended seeking volunteers to help monitor the traffic in and out of the center, so public works employees can help load mulch into visitors' vehicles and perform other more strenuous duties.

"We do assist them with the loading," he explained. "There’s a small fee that is paid, but we’ll load their pickup truck with mulch."

As a result of , Cahalan said there is already an overabundance of mulch available at the center, and he encouraged local residents to take advantage of it this spring.

It is estimated that 770 tons of free mulch are currently available.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the compost center will need to fill out an application as well as a "hold harmless" agreement, Cahalan said.

He plans to let area organizations that connect volunteers with opportunities know that help is being sought for the center, he added.

Once open for the season, the Saucon Valley Compost Center's regular hours will be Friday and Saturday from 9am to 1pm, through November.

This year will mark the center's sixth year of operation, and last year more than 6,000 visits to the compost center were recorded, Cahalan said.

The center is open to residents of both the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township.


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