With the New Year upon us a lot of people are deciding to start living a greener lifestyle. Climate Change is front and centre and there is a lot that you can do to reduce your environmental footprint. We all need to do our part to save this beautiful planet. This may seem like a daunting task but it doesn't have to be. Here at LC Compost we want to help you make green choices. This week we will be starting with composting.
My first piece of wisdom is to not take on too much at once. This can make you feel overwhelmed as well as scare your family members away from going green (I know this from experience!) Start slow and develop green habits. Over time they will become second nature and will incorporate themselves into your everyday life. A great way to start a habit is to choose one thing and work on it until it becomes part of your everyday life. Once this happens take on another green task and let that become a habit and so on!
All right lets get to the good stuff, composting. About 30% of your "trash" is actually organic waste that can be repurposed into compost, diverting it from the landfill and reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that are being pumped into our atmosphere. So let's check out some ways you can start composting now.
1) Backyard composting - All you need is a green space, brown material, a shovel and a bin. There are a lot of amazing resources online on how to build your own compost bins as well as a lot of municipalities in the Okangan offer compost bins at a reduced price. The main issue with backyard composting in the Okanagan are the critters. If you are going to go this route make sure that you have a secure bin. You will need 2-4 parts brown material to 1 part organic waste.
Resources:
- Restore Kelowna & West Kelowna - I have come across a lot of compost bins here
- HomeDeopt - https://www.homedepot.ca/search?q=Compost
2) Compost drop offs - There are a few amazing companies in the Okangan that provide compost drop off. They have a list of what you can and cannot drop off. All you have to do is bring a bucket or bag of your organic waste and pay a small fee per drop off.
Resources:
-Chickpeace - https://chickpeaceplanet.com/
-Fill Kelowna - https://fill-kelowna.myshopify.com/
3) Composting with a friend - If you do not have access to a green space or maybe have a pupper that likes getting in your compost (like my doggo...) ask a friend to use their compost bin. I am sure a coffee or a bottle of wine every few months will be more than enough of a payment. But in all honesty they will probably be happy to get more of natures gold for their gardens. Just make sure that you ask them what they do and do not want in their compost. A lot of backyard composters do not want meat & dairy as it attracts critters.
4) Doorstep Pick Up - Last but not least you can have compost pick up right at your doorstep. We understand that not everyone has access to green space, time to take your compost else where or the desire to play with Organic Waste (we are a rare breed). We provide compost pick ups at single family homes, townhouses, apartment/condos and commercial locations. We want to provide a service that is easy, convenient and affordable to everyone.
Resources: https://www.lccompost.com/
There are a lot of other ways in which you can compost so dig into it. Find what works best for you and your family. Forming these habits in our children is one of the most important things we can do. We need to stop thinking about the now and start thinking about what kind of future we are leaving for future generations. We are not doing this for us we are doing this for our kids and the time to do it is now!
We are here to support you in all of you composting endeavours. Tag us on Social Media on how you and your family compost. Share your ideas with us and our community because we don't care how you compost we just care that you are composting!
Happy Composting Friends
Kristen
