The city's mulch giveaway has hidden rocks in it, learned that the hard way

Went to the Eco Station on 89th Street last spring to grab some free mulch for my front beds. Dumped two truckloads over a weekend, then my mower hit a chunk of concrete the next week. Cost me $120 to fix the blade and I pulled out about 15 rocks bigger than my fist before I gave up sifting. Called 311 and they said the city compost isn't screened that fine, it's basically whatever comes through. Anyone else find junk in theirs, or did I just get a bad load?

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henderson.vera2mo ago

Whoa, FIFTEEN rocks?! And they just let that go out like that? I figured the city would at least run it through a screen or something, but I guess not. That mower repair would've had me seeing red for a week!

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kimr102mo ago

Tbh I heard from a buddy who works landscaping that the city basically uses whatever comes through the shredder, they dont sort it much. He said he's found everything from old rebar to a hubcap in his loads, so you're not alone. That mower repair sucks though, honestly a screen would cost them nothing compared to what people lose in blades. Maybe try asking for the compost pile instead of the mulch next time, that stuff is usually a bit cleaner.

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