City of Greensboro White Street Landfill

Hours
Mondays through Fridays from 7:50 am to 4:30 pm, and Saturdays from 7 am to 12:30 pm

White Street Landfill manages a compost operation and sells compost and mulch on site. To make a purchase, drive to the scalehouse window by 4 pm for loading. Cash or local checks are accepted; debit and credit cards are not. 

Compost is available from April through October and mulch is available year round. The City reserves the right not to load on inclement weather days or if the product is very wet from a weather event. You may call 373-CITY (2489) before arriving to see if the landfill is loading that day.

Costs to purchase compost or mulch:
Bulk / Dump Trucks - $20 per ton
Pickup Truck Load - $20 per load

Fees to drop off yard waste:
Cars - $10 per trip
All other vehicles - $40 per ton

Composting Brochure Available

The North Carolina Composting Council, the state chapter of the US Composting Council, has made available a brochure highlighting 10 Tips for Healthier Soil and Plants. This brochure also offers helpful tips on how much compost to use and what mix calculations to follow.

The Process

The City's compost is made predominantly from residential yard waste, tree clippings, grass clippings, and leaves. The process takes place on approximately 10 acres within the White Street Landfill. The City receives about 35,000 tons of raw materials each year and from that approximately 24,000 tons is processed into compost and the remainder is made into mulch.

After receiving the material, a grinder that is capable of grinding trees up to 30 inches in diameter, grinds the material into about two-inch size pieces. This material is then put in rows called windrows about 20 feet wide, 165 feet long, and 8 feet high. The internal temperature of the windrow is monitored and kept between 135 to 148 degrees. This process kills seeds and pathogens in the compost. When the internal temperature has reached 135 degrees for three days the product is considered free of pathogens and seeds. The entire curing process takes from eight to 10 weeks. 

After curing, the product is run through a screening process using a trommel. This screening process separates the finer particles for bags and larger chunks of wood that have not decomposed. The finished product is piled and ready for loading.