handyguy said:I can only imagine what is in it.[/Q

tree trimmings from when they put them thru the truck shredder

handyguy said:I can only imagine what is in it.

You took the words out of my mouth. No offense to the OP, but I'd be careful with free mulch from a sanitation department.

A friend of mine got a birth control device along with his free compost. Hint: It was made from latex, and yes, it was used. This wasn't Los Angeles, but you never know.

Compost/mulch is really cheap at landscape supply lots that cater to contractors. The place I buy from, a tractor fills the back of my truck to the limit (over 1000 pounds). They charge $25 to 30 for a truckload. I've found the quality is exceptional.

owenscott said:Also the "free" mulch can come with a variety of bugs you may not normally have at your house.

Yes, there are diseases you can bring home with them for your plants.

The little town that I live in is just completing their first sewer treatment plant. I was talking to the public works director about it and he said that they were planning on composting all of the sludge from the treatment plant. They will accept lawn wast and mulch from tree trimming companies. They lay this mulch down in rows and then pour the sludge on top of it and mix it every few weeks. I don't know that much about the process but I don't see anything wrong with using it. I probably wouldn't be touching it with my bare hands but it works great for planting a new lawn. I doubt they would give this away if it was much of a health risk.

Edit:
That said, not all municipalities compost their sludge with yard waste and mulch. I used to live in Lincoln, NE and they had a curbside yard waste collection program and just composted the yard waste.