Piles of this black gold appeared at Betts Park on Monday.

The city has been sifting compost made from last year’s spring clean-up, leaf collection, and yard waste drop-off at the city treatment plant.

The material is a little higher in moisture than City Arborist and Department of Public Works Superintendent Joe Reinke would like, but it’s ready for distribution.

“There are four main ingredients: nitrogen — from the green things, grass clippings, weeds; carbon — from wood chips and leaves; oxygen — which we put into the pile when we turn it monthly; and moisture.”

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry City of Warren Department of Public Works Superintendent Joe Reinke holds some newly-sifted compost. Piles of the compost are available at Betts Park for immediate pickup by city residents.

The materials are collected and left alone to cook, for the most part.

“We turn them monthly,” Reinke said.

Temperatures of 150 degrees are ideal composting conditions for the city’s windrows.

After a while, the temperature starts to drop as oxygen is depleted.

“When you can’t get the pile hot, you turn it — add oxygen — and restart the cooking process,” Reinke said.

The city’s primary function is not making compost — “we weren’t trying to get into the compost business” – so residents may have to deal with a little extra moisture in their free compost.

Last year’s collections — what is in this year’s compost — added up to about twice as much as last years. The city will use this year’s collections — already piling up — for compost in 2023.

This week, the rough material has been sifted using the city’s Trommel screen. It will be trucked to Betts Park and dumped.

Trucking began Monday and the first loads of material were ready for pickup immediately.

There are rules.

The city received grant funding to purchase the Trommel screen.

The material is only available to city residents for personal use — no contractors. The city will check on the progress at the site and those loading compost are asked to have identification with them.

Those residents must load the material they would like by hand. Shovels and wheelbarrows are welcome — front-end loaders and backhoes are not.

Other than that, “I ask that people be courteous and take their time,” Reinke said. “Wait your turn.”

The city purchased the Trommel screen with recycling grant dollars from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“We recycle everybody’s yard waste and leaves and give them back a finished product for their gardens,” Reinke said.

He said the compost piles didn’t last long last year — about a month. Those interested in hauling out a load should be ready to act within the next few weeks.

Exactly how rich the compost is, Reinke doesn’t know. “I’ve never had it tested,” he said.

But it works. “I’ve used it in my garden and the tomatoes like it.”