Trash and Recycling

OVF requests that you separate woody material such as rose bush prunings, rosemary, and any branches, from your garden waste and place them on the left side of the pile of the shredding pile. This will allow the shredding crew to install the screen on the shredder before putting the woody material in the machine. This will chop this material into a fine mulch and improve the composted product by eliminating wood chips from the final "ready" pile. A sign has been installed in the shredding area instructing members where to put the branch material. This applies to Phase 4 members also, except at they should place their woody material on the right side of the main shredding pile in Phase IV.

ROSE BUSH PRUNINGS

When you're ready to prune your rose bushes, take the cuttings to the left side of the orchard for shredding. If you drop cuttings onto the pathways, please stop and pick them up. Almost all of the flat tires on the wheelbarrows are caused from thorns. If you are walking in the garden and see a thorny plant in the path, please stop and pick it up and put it in the shredding areas.

RECYCLING

The City of L.A. provides OVF with two dumpsters. They are for trash only. They do not want vegetation put into them. Please cooperate and do not put any vegetation of any kind into them. Put all vegetation and woody material in the proper shredding pile in the orchard. DO NOT put them into the plastic trash barrels.

GREEN BARREL: This is for all nut grass and false garlic The green barrel is located in the orchard.

BLUE BARREL: This is for your cardboard, paper, and plastic plant containers. The blue barrel is located between the sheds.

OLD WOOD

There are two places to dispose of old wood. If it is in good condition, take it to the lumber cage for other members to reuse. If it is rotten beyond use put it behind the larger of the two sheds in the orchard for chipping. If possible please remove any nails, screws or other foreign objects.

OLD PIPES

If you have old pipes on your plot that you aren't using, put these under the lumber cage also. We always have a need for salvaged pipes for walls for members' plots.

CORN AND SUNFLOWER STALKS

When removing your corn and sunflower stalks, it would be most helpful to the shredding workgroup if all members would cut the root ball off the stalk before bringing it to the shredding area. The stalks are put into the chipper and dirt ruins the cutting knives. Please place the dirt balls on the right side with the green material and the stalks on the left side with the woody material.

GARDEN SOIL IS A PRECIOUS RESOURCE

Although we live in a throw-away society some things are not that easily replaced, such as us and the food-growing soil.

Please do not put soil in the trash barrels or the green barrels. You should not be throwing your soil away. If you are digging out nut grass or false garlic, screen it to save your soil. A plastic plant flat with fine holes is effective.

After digging up plant material, please remember to shake off the soil from the roots. Then satisfy some of life's hostilities by whacking each root ball against the tool that you used for digging. [Do this as many times as necessary to save the soil and relieve your tensions!] This also aids the shredding crew who are finding too much valuable soil around plant materials.