Patent ID: 7415923

Claim:
A method of packaging and handling elongate sediment control members of the type forming an elongate body of randomly dispersed, loose-fill fibers having a select loft for retaining sedimentation fluid passing there through when disposed for erosion control, the loose fill fibers being packaged in open mesh material to form each of the elongated sediment control members, the method comprising the steps of: assembling the sediment control members for packaging; providing a compression hopper adapted for receipt of the assembled sediment control members therein; situating each of the sediment control members within the hopper and shaping each of the sediment control members into a serpentine assembly for subsequent compression; actuating a compressing plate of the hopper and compressing the shaped assembly of sediment control members; binding the compressed sediment control members within the hopper; removing the bound sediment control members from the hopper; permitting the bound sediment control members to be delivered in the bound condition to a site for decompression and erosion control; and removing the binding from the compressed sediment control members at the sites for erosion control for the positioning and decompression thereof and placement for erosion control.