New yard waste site still not determined   www.Delaforum.com June 2010

It now appears all but certain that Brandywine Hundred residents will be hung up for a free and convenient place to dispose of yard waste for, at least, most of the summer. The state Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control is still negotiating with the Du Pont company in hopes of using a site on Hay Road near Edgemoor to replace the one off Cauffiel Parkway, Marjorie Crofts, acting director of the department's Division of Air & Waste Management, told Delaforum. Meanwhile, the present site, which has drawn considerable public criticism, especially from residents of nearby Delaire, will be permanently shut down as scheduled on June 27. A provision in last year's state capital-spending legislation required the closure.

The department created confusion on June 4 when it distributed a media notice about the closure which said it was "seeking a suitable location for a new site in North [sic] New Castle County." The handout did not refer to Du Pont nor to the previously announced alternative site, leaving an impression that that deal might have fallen through. Designated spokesman Michael Globetti told Delaforum that he "couldn't possibly" explain the notice nor even confirm the previous announcement. The notice listed several alternative disposal sites, including the Delaware Solid Waste Authority landfill near the 12th Street exit from Interstate 495, but noted that all but the department's other sites on Polly Drummond Hill Road and South Du Pont Highway charge fees for dumping.