VENTURA COUNTY, CA – Ventura County’s Community for a Clean Watershed & Integrated Waste Management Division are offering 50-gallon, gravity-fed rain barrels and 55-gallon compost bins at reduced prices. Offering truckload-style opportunities to buy discounted barrels and bins since 2010, this program gives residents an easy way to save water and recycle garden and food waste. The event will take place on Saturday, February 3, with a deadline to order online by 11 p.m. on Sunday, January 28.
Residents can use the barrels to capture rainwater from their home rooftops, providing access to reusable water. Using a rain barrel helps reduce home water use and helps prevent runoff pollution. Without a water catch system, the water would typically flow down streets, into storm drains and out to sea. Water collected by rain barrels can be used to water trees, gardens and lawns.
“We are encouraged by the thousands of residents who purchase rain barrels and compost bins through our annual sale. Both help to keep Ventura County beautiful. A rain barrel can fill quickly with roof runoff from a small amount of rainfall, even ¼ inch, helping to save water and allowing residents access to a free sustainable use of rainwater,” says Lara Meeker, Water Resources Specialist at the Ventura County Watershed Protection District.
Creating your own compost is an easy way to introduce healthy nutrients to the soil, reducing the need for chemical and pesticide use. Adding compost to gardens and landscapes also promotes root growth and allows the soil to better retain water.
Rain barrels and compost bins can be purchased through the program’s website, www.rainbarrelprogram.org/venturacounty, using a credit card, or by calling (919) 835-1699. The rain barrel cost is $75 plus tax and the compost bins are $55 plus tax. Customers of Metropolitan Water District and Member Agencies may qualify for a $35 rebate. To check rain barrel rebate eligibility, go to www.socalwatersmart.com.
Pre-purchased rain barrels and compost bins can be picked up on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at two locations: Ventura County Government Center, Parking Lot B from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (800 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura, CA 93009) and Calleguas Water District in the City of Thousand Oaks from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (2100 e. Olsen Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91360).
To learn more about this event and other services provided by Ventura County’s Community for a Clean Watershed, visit www.cleanwatershed.org.