Sawdust from turning trees into lumber or a collection of tree limbs from your yard is no longer a waste product heading to a landfill.
“Our company helps take wood waste off the street. We (also) utilize waste from the lumber industry so at a sawmill. We’ll purchase their bark, their wood chips and their wood shavings. We will purchase that same material from land clearing companies,” said Sean Gallivan, with Green Renewable.
Since the 1970s there’s been a growing movement to put wood waste products back into something useful, like mulch.
“It is ground, processed, broken down and aged depending on what product is being made then it’s put out there giving benefit to the soils beneath it,” said Gallivan.
Mulch helps control weeds and soil temperatures, as well as keeping the soil moist so less watering is needed for good growth.
“Mulch is also utilized as erosion control on large construction jobs and a homeowner can use it on the side of a hill as a way to reduce water runoff,” said Gallivan.
Mulch works best if applied as least once a year.
“When you’re applying the mulch add no more than 2 to 3 inches so you get the proper aeration and your mulch does not get stale,” said Gallivan.