City residents can pick up free wood mulch to freshen their yards for the summer on Saturday, May 9 at Hoffman Mill Road. Hosted by the Fort Collins Forestry Division, this event has a backup date of Saturday, May 16 in case of cancellation due to poor weather
This annual event gives residents an opportunity to collect free mulch for gardening, landscaping, and other projects while recycling debris from city forestry operations.
City workers will staff this event with a front-end loader to fill vehicles for speed and ease of transport. Community members must bring their own open-topped vehicle or trailer and will be responsible for securing loads before leaving the site. For personal safety, residents are asked to remain inside their vehicles during the loading process.
According to the city, this free mulch is only available to Fort Collins residents, not commercial businesses. They advise entering the site from northbound Lemay Avenue and arriving in the afternoon to avoid large crowds. When leaving the site, turn right from Poudre River Drive back onto northbound Lemay Avenue.
Free Mulch Day keeps trees, branches, and wood waste out of landfills by turning them into landscaping material for the community. As ground cover, mulch helps to retain soil moisture, improve soil quality, reduce weeds, and protect plants against dry heat.
If residents are not able to attend the event, there are two self-load mulch sites available year-round at the Timberline Recycling Center and The Gardens on Spring Creek.
For more information regarding the event, go to the city’s website.
AJ Merriman is a reporter for The Ramspondents.