Pa. man fined $600 for trash he says is garden aid

[July 01, 2010]  SCOTTDALE, Pa. (AP) -- A western Pennsylvania man said he'll appeal a $600 fine for keeping on his property hundreds of full trash bags that he claims are used to insulate his organic vegetable garden.

Officials in Scottdale, said the bags littering Thomas Zeller's property, along with used tires, are trash and a district judge agreed Tuesday.

The 57-year-old Zeller said he fills the trash bags with leaves to insulate the ground on which he claims to grow 350 varieties of medicinal herbs and numerous vegetables. He estimates the garden produces 3,400 pounds of organic vegetables annually.

The same judge gave Zeller more than 30 days to clean up the bags, and fined him because borough officials said many of the bags remain on his property.

He said the borough is "making me an international criminal."

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Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com/

[Associated Press]

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