Bag-It Days
Bag-It Days is a special promotion that the Bureau of Environmental Services conducts in September. Instead of the traditional bulk sales of our compost, mulch and blended topsoil, all of our products are sold by the bag/tub. This is to allow residents who want to use our Made Locally / Spread Locally products in smaller quantities than by the cubic yard.
When Bag-It Days are not being held, we still sell our products, including our HoCoGro Compost, by the cubic yard throughout the year. We even have a list of contractors who will deliver the product directly to your door. Autumn is a great time to prepare your beds for the spring, or to aerate and top-dress your lawn with compost. Remember that by adding diverse organic community to your lawn, you are encouraging the natural mineral-releasing biome in your soil. By top-dressing your lawn with compost instead of chemical fertilizers, you will strengthenand produce better and more disease resistant grass and garden plants. For best results, both existing and new topsoil should have 5% or more organic matter to promote healthy root structure and improve water retention.
Compost Bin Demonstrations
Attend a compost demo for how-to advice by Howard County Master Gardeners (starting in April). Feed your garden organically, recycle kitchen scraps and yard trimmings and improve your soil's health! FREE compost bins for Howard County residents.
Rain Barrel Demonstrations
Rain barrels are a great tool to reduce stormwater pollution and conserve treated tap water. The Bureau of Environmental Services and the Howard County Master Gardeners have partnered together to provide free rain barrel workshops and giveaways to Howard County residents.
Learn all about Howard County's third public landfill open to both commercial and residential customers. In this virtual tour of Alpha Ridge Landfill you get a behind the scenes look at our Transfer Station, Wood Waste Drop-off Area and our state-of-the-art Composting Facility.
Schedule a tour of the Residents' Convenience Center. A Recycling Coordinator will guide your group and discuss what is collected and what happens to all those items. Many things are reused or recycled, but trash is collected too.
The group may also tour the Composting Facility (see below). This tour is great for scout groups trying to earn badges/patches. Did you know most of Howard County's trash is exported to a landfill in VA? Tours are typically scheduled Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Contact us to schedule.
Can't make the guided tour? Take a virtual tour from your couch! Learn all about the Residents' Convenience Center from the comfort of your home with our virtual tour.
Howard County has constructed a state of the art facility to produce quality compost. Contact Jeff Dannis to schedule or for more information.