Brush and yard waste pickup in the Village of Hiram is suspended indefinitely, leaving residents to find other ways to dispose of unwanted organic material.
Village employees had been picking up grass clippings, brush, twigs, leaves, branches and Christmas trees. Not any more, and burning the material is not an option, thanks to a separate village ordinance.
Hiram’s service workers had been dumping the material between the village water plant and the hike and bike trail. That got the attention of the EPA, which deemed the dump area a health hazard, Council President Robert Dempsey said.
“We’re trying to figure out what to do,” he said. “We don’t have any place to store it so we’re working on a few things like buying a chipper and having it dumped maybe someplace else in the county or having our waste disposal pick it up.”
Residents who wish to dispose of their yard waste may make arrangements with their trash hauler, though that might mean an added expense, Dempsey said.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.