“I don’t regret getting involved, I just didn’t expect the amount of work involved. “We’re in our second year of running our own facility, and it’s been a little bit by trial and error,” he explains. Somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 tons of leaves get collected between the two townships annually, says Gentile, adding that leaves are the only feedstock going into the compost. The townships of Haverford and Marples had both been hauling leaves to a 9-acre facility managed by the Delaware County Solid Waste Authority, with Haverford alone estimating its annual costs for tipping fees, fuel, vehicle wear and dedicated employee hours to be around $130,000. According to Haverford Township Manager Larry Gentile, approximately $450,000 in infrastructure investment will be paid for in realized savings inside of two years. Largely to reduce costs associated with hauling leaves to a composting facility elsewhere in their county, two southeastern Pennsylvania townships teamed up to do their own composting. Municipality saves money while residents reap “black gold”.

Haverford township compost