PSST! — Want to know a secret? You don’t have to buy wood chip mulch or compost. You can get it for free, at the Northern Ocean Recycling Center in Lakewood. Arthur P. Burns, the superintendent at the center, said county residents seem to like the free gardening materials because the county gives away about 500 tons each of mulch and compost that it makes every year. “If we have front end loader available, we’ll even scoop it into your truck,” Burns said. Ocean County Recycling Coordinator John Haas said the free mulch and wood chips are available at the Lakewood center off Oberlin Avenue and the Southern Ocean Recycling Center in Stafford, as well as municipal recycling centers in Toms River, Manchester, Brick, Lacey, Beachwood, Seaside Park, Plumsted and Point Pleasant. The sites are open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Saturdays the most crowded, he said. “On weekends we have hundreds of people coming in to get the stuff. It is popular and it is available,” he said. Read full article from App here.