Ever wonder what happened to all those shrubs and pieces of wood that abandoned their trees during Hurricane Sandy?

In the Corporate Area, much of that is now residing temporarily on lands beside the Ferry Police Station. But have no fear, this is no impromptu dumping site to add to Jamaica's environmental woes. In fact, the area is serving the exact opposite purpose.

Community Relations Manager at the National Solid Waste Management Authority, Shauna Guthrie, explained that the content at the lot, which is being used as a holding area, was not to be carried to the landfill.

Guthrie said the plan was to grind the wood down to chips using a compact shredder and use the resulting fragments for compost or mulching. She also did not rule out the possibility that some might be available to the public.

"Our Parks and Gardens division does landscaping and beautification so we would use it there," she said. "But if we have excess we may look into probably selling it as well." Workmen with whom The Gleaner spoke assured that the area is kept secure, preventing persons from taking the already shredded chips for their personal use. They also guard against persons using the area to dump their garbage. The men said they were also on the lookout for persons searching for dry wood to make coal.

daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com