Two compost sites in the Southern Tier are now open to the public.

The city of Elmira’s facility is on industrial Park Boulevard near the department of public works building. Chemung County residents can use the location on Blostein Boulevard behind the Kmart in Horseheads. The facilities accept organic material like grass, branches, and leaves.

"There's been several closings to several compost facilities. Mostly due to illegal dumping and things of that nature. So we're trying to make a unified facility and move that direction." Said Craig Southard, Elmira DPW Senior Engineer.

The city facility is open 24-hours but officials recommend going during daylight hours. The county facility is open 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Saturday.