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February 24, 2017 - 4:17 PM
KELOWNA - Here’s your chance to cut your garbage in half --and do your yard a big favor this gardening season with a new backyard composter and rain barrel.
“Backyard composting is easy, rewarding, and something the whole family can get involved in!” says Waste Reduction Facilitator Rae Stewart with the Regional District Waste Reduction Office. “Imagine the satisfaction of making your own nutritious soil enhancer for your garden, all from kitchen scraps and green matter from your yard, material you would otherwise just toss away!”
Stewart adds one third to half of household waste is easily compostable. ‘If you compost and recycle you can be putting as little as one or two grocery bags worth of garbage out for collection a week. That ‘s far less taxing on our one remaining landfill. By adding nutrient rich compost to your garden, it’s a super booster for your soil-- more robust fruits and veggies, greener lawn, healthier flowers and shrubs. .”
The Regional Waste Reduction Office’s annual sale features backyard composters for $35 (tax included), a big savings from the regular $80 retail price. It’s a pre order sale only though, so you need to plan ahead. The Pre Order only sale runs March1st through March 31st, with composters ready for pickup in your community in early May in time for gardening season. You can choose from three different types of units: a one- piece backyard composter, the FreeGarden Earth ($35), the Green Cone food digester ($95) which can handle all types of kitchen scraps, or the Wormcycler worm bin ($80) which is ideal for apartment/condo dwellers.
Back by popular demand, rain barrels will once again be part of the sale for $75 each, again a big cost savings to the regular $100 retail price. Corinne Jackson, Communications Director for the Okanagan Basin Water Board and its Okanagan WaterWise program says they’re pleased to be partnering with Waste Reduction and expect the rain barrels to go quickly. Only 200 will be available with a limit of two per household.
Jackson explains, “Collecting rain water in your own yard makes great sense. Harvesting rain water provides soft, fresh, untreated water for your plants. A rain barrel also helps save you money by limiting the use of metered tap water on gardens. Plus, collecting rain water limits run off from yards and can prevent contaminants from washing into our storm drains, and ultimately into local streams and lakes. By diverting some of this run-off into rain barrels you’re helping keep our waters clean for drinking, for fish and everything else that depends on good, clean water.”
For details on the composter sale, to place your order, view your payment options-including online payment, or simply find out more about which model is best for you, visit regionaldistrict.com/compostersale or call the Regional Waste Reduction Office at 250.469.6250.
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