Chipper Shredder

I’ve had a deal with the next door neighbors. They worked it out with some neighbors behind us to take down a large, imposing tree that affected all three of our properties. In return, I would find and secure a chipper shredder for both of us to use; in fact, we’d co-own it.<br />n<br />nWhy do we need a chipper, you ask? The answer to that goes back earlier this year, when we learned that the new contract with the waste company called for our yard waste to be moved into provided waste containers for pickup, rather than just dumping it on the street, as has been for the decade-plus time we’ve been at this house.<br />n<br />nThis neighborhood has large lots, which really means we all have large yards. Large yards translates into lots of yard waste that accumulates as a result of yard maintenance. It was really convenient to dump our waste right on the street in front of our house, as much as we wanted. Now, we feel a restricted now that we have only one 96 gallon (363 liter) container to use for a weekend’s worth of yard work.<br />n<br />nThe idea now is to use the chipper to break down the trimmings and such, then use them either as much around our garden beds, or to better utilize the space in the container. With lots of redwood trees on our properties, we should get lots of good redwood mulch out of it, lessening the need to buy it.<br />n<br />nI know, the 4-stroke gasoline engine that powers the chipper probably isn’t all that environmentally friendly, but putting our biomass back into our ground is a good thing. And, it’s a power tool. And we’re guys. What can I say, it won’t be running nowhere near as much as the lawn mower. I think.