Break it down: Panorama Paydirt makes “black gold” from city leaves


Mounded into windrows, the raw organic materials cure until they are ready to be sold as compost and mulch. The internal temperature of the mounds, measured with a thermometer as long as your leg, stays above 140 degrees for six weeks at a time. Photo: Stephen Barling

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C-VILLE Weekly is Charlottesville’s leading newspaper. Founded in 1989, it’s been the area’s local source for informative (and informed) stories in news, arts, and living for more than 26 years.