In celebration of the first full week of spring, the Walker County Landfill will host a unique community giveaway event, “Strawapalooza,” on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24–25, offering residents free straw while supplies last.
The event will feature approximately 250 square bales of straw available to the public at no cost. The straw is leftover from a recent slope stabilization project at the landfill and must be distributed due to limited storage space.
“We have about 250 square bales of straw that need to find a new home,” said Paine Gily, director of solid waste and environmental management. “The straw is left over from our slope stabilization project. Due to the loss of available storage, the material cannot be preserved long-term without deteriorating. This event allows the material to be utilized productively within the community rather than discarded, while also resolving the immediate storage constraint.”
Residents interested in picking up straw should stop at the landfill scalehouse and inform the operator of their request. They will then be directed to a storage trailer to collect the bales. A limit of five bales per vehicle per day will be enforced.
Straw has a variety of practical uses during the spring season, including covering newly seeded grass, serving as mulch in gardens, adding to compost piles, and providing dry bedding for animals.
The straw will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The Walker County Landfill, located at 5120 North Marble Top Road near Chickamauga, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days of the event.