5 Towns Host Backyard Composter Sale
Composting at its simplest is a mix of dried leaves and food waste. It creates natural fertilizer and reduces municipal solid waste by as much as 22 percent, according to a study by MIT. But what compost unit should you use?
The answer, at least for “Farmer Shaun” Ananko, Director of Agriculture & Education for Grow It Green Morristown, is a 100-gallon Eco Cube. Now through April 25, his favorite composter can be ordered as part of an Earth Month sale sponsored by the Environmental Commissions of the Chathams, Madison, Florham and Morris Township. A bulk order will be placed, netting New Jersey residents a discounted price of $99 (retail cost is $127).
The Eco Cube is a large, well-vented square composter with a cover and side doors for removing finished fertilizer. It can sit in an out of the way location and turn food scraps into nutrient-rich compost in one to twelve months, depending on garden conditions. “It’s one of the easiest ways to reduce food waste,” says Farmer Shaun. “Did you know a spoiled head of lettuce takes 25 years to decompose in a landfill?”
“We’re promoting backyard composting because it is an easy and important climate action,” says Brian Morgan, chair of the Morris Township Environmental Commission. He notes that composting turns food waste into fertilizer without causing methane emissions in landfills. According to the Washington Post, methane is 28 times more potent than CO2. Project Drawdown has ranked reducing food waste as the number one action to fight climate change.
Orders for the Eco Cube can be placed at www.growitgreenmorristown.org/composter through April 25. Pick up will be May 14 at Grow It Green’s Urban Farm, 31 Hazel Street, Morristown.
For more information, write to info@growitgreenmorristown.org.
