Town of Cary Starting Spring Compost Bin Sale

Cary, NC – With Spring comes new, fresh produce into our markets and onto our plates. And to go with this, the Town of Cary has begun selling compost bins to encourage sustainable disposal of plant waste.

Reducing Food Waste

From now until Sunday, May 7, 2017, the Town of Cary is selling FreeGarden Earth compost bins, by Enviro World. Sarah Justice, Cary’s Environmental Outreach Program Coordinator, said the town started this compost bin program to help residents make easy decisions when it comes to food waste.

“The Town of Cary prides itself in making it easy to be sustainable,” Justice said. “And composting is the best way to get material out of the municipal waste stream.”

According to Justice, 70 percent of all waste is compostable and the bins the town is selling come with instruction books.

“These are top-selling bins that typically go for $100 to $150,” Justice said. “We are selling them for $45. There is no profit for the town and there is no shipping cost involved. It’s a great product for a great cost.”

With orders closing on May 7, Justice said deliveries of the bins should go out during the rest of May, which residents then pick up at the Garmon Operations Center at 400 James Jackson Ave.

A FreeGarden Earth compost bin

Benefits of Using Compost

To use the compost bins, Justice said residents put in any scraps from vegetables or fruit, then mix in material such as dry leaves.

“After six months, you will have a highly rich soil amendment,” Justice said.

This soil amendment can then be added to existing soil, either in the garden or in the lawn, to add more nutrients to your plants  and grass.

“And compost soil holds more moisture so it can reduce water runoff and seepage,” Justice said.

For residents who do not have any use for the compost themselves, Justice said it can be donated for use by the Town of Cary. Also, the town hosts composting workshops twice a year and there is information on how to compost at Bond Park.

Story by Michael Papich. Photos courtesy of the Town of Cary and Mark Role.