City reminding public of proper use of remote yard waste sites

There’s been increased activity at Rapid City’s yard waste sites, but all is not what it’s supposed to be.

Officials say they’ve seen some inappropriate items being dropped off, such as furniture, tires and even oil. They stress these sites are for the disposal of yard clippings, twigs and branches, or leaves — only.

The city uses the yard waste for making garden compost, and every contaminant costs time and money.

“When they get a load that’s contaminated per say like that; they have to empty the load, they have to sift through it, pull out whatever they can that will not break down, remove those items and then start our composting process,” said Jancie Knight, the Project Manager of Rapid City Solid Waste Division. “So, longevity wise it takes hours longer than it should for a 45 minute trip.”

The city also stresses that yard waste sites are for residential use only, not commercial use. Non-yard waste materials can be taken to the city’s solid waste site during normal operating hours.