The Dirt Factory, the community compost facility that opened at 4308 Market Street six years ago, has closed due to the sale of the property. The facility is currently looking for a new home and is not accepting composting donations from the community at the moment, according to The Dirt Factory website.

The University City District opened the facility in 2012 and transformed an empty lot into a neighborhood asset. It’s not yet known what the new owner is planning to do with the lot. So far no construction permits have been issued. A new “higher end” apartment building is being proposed next door to the lot – at 4312-20 Market.

Here’s a great opportunity for gardeners to get free compost and check out West Philly’s Dirt Factory. The Dirt Factory, which opened almost a year ago at 4308 Market Street, is inviting neighbors to Dirt Day on Saturday, May 18 where you can receive free compost created at the facility from waste contributed by local residents, attend free workshops and tour the facility. In addition, there will be free food from West Philly businesses, plantables, and even free buckets for collecting your compostable waste. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and here’s the workshop schedule:

• 11 a.m. – noon:  Making Your Own Compost featuring Christine Tilles, Penn State Extension Educator
• 1-2 p.m.:  Vegetable Gardening with Compost featuring Jessica Herwick, Penn State Extension Master Gardener

Everyone can take home up to 10 gallons of compost for free at tomorrow’s event, and while there, take a tour of The Dirt Factory to learn how the compost was made. Attendees are requested to RSVP at compost@universitycity.org

Reminder: The Dirt Factory is open for compostable waste drop-off from 5-6 p.m. on Wednesdays. For more information go to: universitycity.org/dirt-factory

Despite the recent run of warm weather, leaves are still falling across West Philly. The City’s curbside bagged leaf collection program continues for another two weeks, wrapping up on December 14.

If you have some leaves you want to get rid of, here’s some advice from the Streets Department:

• Leaves will only be collected in biodegradable paper bags. These bags can be processed for recycling along with the leaves. This reduces contamination in the recycling process, and allows crews to work more efficiently and more easily identify your bags as leaves. Leaves set out in other bags or containers may be collected as trash.

• Set leaf bags curbside next to trash and recycling on your trash day.

• Leaves placed in plastic bags will be collected as trash, not recycling.

• Do not mix trash or other recyclable materials with bagged leaves. This contaminates leaves and makes them unfit for recycling purposes.

• The Streets Department does not provide biodegradable bags. Residents may purchase them at their local home improvement stores. Monarch Hardware at 45th and Walnut, for example, sells them in packs of five for $3.59.

• Bagged leaves may also be taken to any of the three Sanitation Convenience Centers:

3033 S. 63rd Street (63rd & Passyunk Ave.)
Domino Lane and Umbria Street
State Road and Ashburner Street

 
The Dirt Factory has been open since June 19 and is already seeing a pretty high turnout of neighbors dropping off compost. This Saturday (July 7) The Dirt Factory presents the first two in a series of workshops at their facility at 4308 Market Street. At 10 a.m. residents are invited to a composting workshop taught by compost expert Christine Tilles. She will teach you how to reduce the amount of material that you send to the landfill while creating compost for your garden in just a few months. Organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, and food scraps can be converted into a rich organic material that plants love. You’ll also have a chance to see a few different backyard compost methods in action.

Also on Saturday, at 11:30 a.m. come learn about vegetable gardening in the cool season. Master Gardener Julie Cox will talk about vegetables that are grown in the Spring and Fall, and how and when to plant the fall crop. She will also discuss garlic, which is planted in the Fall to enjoy next year.

Both workshops are free and will also include prizes and giveaways.

If you are interested in attending any of these workshops, please RSVP at sustainability@universitycity.org.

Compost Drop-Off Reminder: neighbors can drop their compost off at The Dirt Factory every Wednesday, from 5 to 6 p.m. As concerns holiday hours, please note that The Dirt Factory is always open on Wednesdays 5-6 unless reported otherwise on this website: http://universitycity.org/dirt-factory.

The University City District (UCD) is inviting the public to a celebration of dirt tomorrow. Actually, a celebration of really high quality dirt.

The Dirt Factory, UCD’s new public compost facility, located in a vacant lot near 43rd and Market, officially opens tomorrow and there will be free food and drinks, music and a lot of dirt talk.

The Dirt Factory features two huge, “Earth Tub” composters, each with a capacity of 3,200 pounds. The Pedal Co-op will pick up compostable material from local businesses and residents and deliver it to the site, which is located at 4308 Market St. Residents can also drop off material. All of that will be combined with leaves from sidewalks and streets around the neighborhood to produce compost, which will then be available to residents for gardening projects.

Besides the big commercial composters, the site will feature smaller, residential composters that will be used to demonstrate how home composting works. A few raised beds are also on the lot to demonstrate best practices in urban gardening.

The name for the facility was chosen from 86 suggestions. Stephen Metzger and Carina Giamerese will get 6 months of free compost pick-up from The Pedal Co-op for the winning name.

Wednesday’s opening ceremony runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature food and drink from Dock Street Brewing Co., Four Worlds Bakery and Little Baby’s Ice Cream.

Stay tuned for more info and hours of operation.