WEBSTER CITY — Webster City will take a test load of wood mulch from its green waste site to the landfill in Webster County sometime in the near future to see if it will work as a topping or cover there.

Biridiana Bishop, Webster City’s assistant manager, said Wednesday the North Central Iowa Regional Solid Waste Agency site south of Fort Dodge may provide a solution to the current overabundance of the mulch.

A massive pile of it that has built up over several years self-combusted last month, causing the city to spread out what had been a tall hill into multiple smaller windrows.

This, in turn, caused the city to stop accepting tree waste because there is now no room for it at the site at the east end of Ohio Street.

Bishop said that the ban on dumping trees and branches there will continue until a bigger solution to the green waste site is reached.

Residents are still welcome to dispose of grass clippings and leaves, she said.

The test load that will be hauled to Webster County will be from 20 to 30 tons, Bishop said Wednesday. It will be hauled once it gets the approval of both the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the NCIRSWA,

Webster City has about 4,600 tons of processed mulch that must be removed from the local site, Bishop said.

To avoid having this issue in the future, the City Council on Monday agreed to purchase an airburner that would reduce tree waste to ash as an alternative to grinding it into mulch. It is an S330e Air Burner Firebox for a total price of $225,413.82.

The city will purchase this once the DNR has issued the construction permit for the unit, Bishop said.

“The S330e Air Burner Firebox will allow staff to burn more wood waste and maintain a clean site,” Monday’s council packet states.

“The additional capacity will serve as a long-term solution for the City’s green waste site into the future, as more tree waste may be generated due to diseased trees in the community and natural disaster events.”