NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 6, 2000

CARY’S MEGA MULCH MADNESS II
BEGINS TOMORROW

CARY, NC – Hurricane Floyd left Cary officials with an estimated 3200 tons of vegetative debris on their hands, debris that has now been converted by the Town into high-quality mulch and is being given away, beginning tomorrow, to anyone from anywhere who has a way to take it away. The Town of Cary’s Mega Mulch Giveaway Madness II runs from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Friday through Monday, January 7-10 and January 14-17 next to the Cary Convenience Center (Old Public Works facility), 316 North Dixon Avenue. Town crews will load any amount of the premium wood mulch into any size truck or other vehicle FREE OF CHARGE during the two Mulch Madness weekends.

This is the second Mulch Madness held by the Town. The first occurred last April following an ice storm that struck the Triangle in January 1999. During that giveaway, the Town had about 1800 tons of mulch taken by citizens in just over four days.

"Last year’s Mulch Madness showed us that giving mulch away is a great service and the best use of our resources in dealing with this sort of debris," said Mike Bajorek, Director of Cary’s Solid Waste Division.

Making mulch out of the debris is also in keeping with Cary’s water conservation efforts. Town officials hope that citizens will use more mulch each year, converting larger portions of their water-dependent lawns into natural areas.

"Mulch holds water in soil and helps improve soil quality by providing the vegetative component lacking in our mostly clay soils," said Cary Water Conservation Specialist Jennifer Platt. "Mulch is great to use to create natural areas, and mulch also helps control weeds."

For more information about Cary’s Mega Mulch Madness II, call 469-4090 during regular business hours.

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