Landscape for cheap, with help from KCP&L

Want to get something for nothing from a power company? My free stuff’s sitting in the driveway.

Kansas City Power & Light sends out crews to trim trees that interfere power lines. The byproduct is hardwood mulch and lots of it. KCP&L offers the mulch to homeowners at no charge. All that’s required is a form.

I faxed in the form earlier this spring. A few weeks later, a crew arrived at the house, ready to disgorge tree limbs they’d removed and shredded. Now I’ve got a big pile of mulch that sells for $2 a bag at the hardware store.

The pile lets off steam from to time. If I blur my vision, I can pretend a T. Rex left a big turd that smells woody and delicious.

Self-serve mulch is also available for free at Kansas City, Missouri’s leaf and brush drop sites.