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April 20, 2017 - 8:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - After exceeding expectations last year the city has launched another rain barrel program.
Last year was the first year the city worked directly with a manufacturer to offer rain barrels at a reduced cost to locals, and the city’s sustainability educator Jaime Garbutt says the response blew away estimates.
“I thought we’d sell about 500, I thought that’d be on the high end,” she says. “We sold close to 1,200 rain barrels.”
Because of that success, the city is running it again. The same barrels will be available through the city’s website at $55, or about half of what they’d cost through other sites or distributors. People can purchase as many as they want, and they don’t have to be residents of Kamloops to get them.
There will be a few alterations this year. Last year people picked up the barrels at the Green Living Expo. This year the city will be showing the barrels at the expo, and pickup will happen on May 27 at the Public Works Open House.
Garbutt says if people are considering buying a barrel they should consider going to the second annual expo to learn more about the the barrels and to get $5 off the online price. She’ll be on hand to explain how they work, the benefits and how to purchase them.
The barrels collect rain water for future use for things like gardening. While helping reduce reliance on the city’s water system they also help reduce pollution by reducing runoff into the river and the amount of chlorine entering the ecosystem.
The program is open now and orders have to be in by May 12. For more information, check the city's rain barrel webpage.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017