With spring just around the corner, your thoughts might be moving toward landscaping, gardening, and working outside. Erie County is hoping to make it a little easier on you by offering rain barrels and compost bins that you can use.

The snow and ice are beginning to melt around Western New York, and you might be noticing just how much water there is on your property. Now imagine if you could use that water in places where you might really need it.

That’s the idea behind this program from Erie County. They’re hoping to provide people with the option of using rainwater for their yards or gardens instead of having it drain off into the sewers and composting their yard scraps and grass clippings for better soil.

What are the benefits of rain barrels and compost bins?

Rain barrels really serve multiple purposes. The first is that it keeps rainwater from seeping in around your foundation. That will keep it from coming into your house. It also gathers water for you to use on your garden or lawn. But it also keeps it from bringing polutants into the sewer system. When people treat their lawns with pesticides and chemicals, those will be carried into whatever drainage system you or your town uses. By gathering the water before it runs off, you don’t have to worry about those chemicals being anywhere but on your lawn as they were intended.

Of course, compost is really great for naturally enriching your soil. It helps to promote plant growth, and it reduces the need to use chemical fertilizers.

Erie County is offering all kinds of items for composting and rain collection

If you’d like to explore options to collect rainwater or begin composting at your house, there are a bunch of items for sale through Erie County at this website. You can get everything from bins to rain barrels and even screens to keep the rodents out.

Pickup date is June 6th from 9 am to 3 pm at ECC North Campus (6205 Main Street) Parking Lot #5.

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