Recycling Old Technology
Coming Soon!
Link:
-How to Properly Recycle Your Electronics
-Recycle Your Old Electronics for Cash
Composting
March 30, 2013
I'm actively trying to lessen my eco-footprint, and live as much off the land as I can. When I was in elementary school I joined the eco-team and in Middle school I was the head of the environmental committee but somewhere between now and then I feel off the wagon.
Coming Soon!
Link:
-How to Properly Recycle Your Electronics
-Recycle Your Old Electronics for Cash
Composting
March 30, 2013
I'm actively trying to lessen my eco-footprint, and live as much off the land as I can. When I was in elementary school I joined the eco-team and in Middle school I was the head of the environmental committee but somewhere between now and then I feel off the wagon.
As a child growing up our city had regular weekly pick-ups for: garbage, recycling and compost (we also had our own separate compost in the backyard for our gardens). Moving west to Calgary there was: recycling and garbage but no compost being collected. Now we live in a slightly more rural area and in doing so we lost some of the amenities that we had previously enjoyed: such as recycling pick-up. Many people we know throw EVERYTHING out in the garbage because they can't be bothered to sort out their recycling and even their redeemables!
SIDE NOTE: Redeemables are cans, bottles, and jugs that you pay a deposit on at the time of purchase and then collect the fee back at the time of disposal at a bottle depot.
I take our impact on the environment pretty seriously in our house making sure to separate the plastics, glass, paper and reedeemables but what about the more organic matter? It kills me to see food scraps going into the garbage and than end up in a dump circled by poor helpless birds who end up ingesting...well who knows what?! My plan is to start our own compost system... and pronto! But what systems are out there and which one is right for us?
My first thought was to follow my parents example: a plastic container under the sink with a brown paper bag liner that gets dumped weekly into a plastic compost bin in the backyard. Though the smell was occasionally an issue, plastic is not a desirable eco material and the sight was far from aesthetically pleasing. So I was window shopping on-line and came across the Moboo Kitchen Composter that is made out of molded-bamboo... a durable, non-toxic alternative to chemical based plastics.
Then I found another kitchen pail-style compost option called the Full Circle Home Composter that Alicia Silverstone has a video reviewed of on OpenSky. This compost option was created out of partially recycled products. It has a seal that keeps the smell in and bio-degradable bag liners that make for easy transfer into your outdoor compost.
I was pretty set on my kitchen pail-style compost so I started to weigh the pros and cons of my backyard compost options... The problem we have with composting is the wildlife that is literally in our backyard. We don't want herds of mice to make our place their home or for coyotes to follow their noses to food scraps and make our little pup it's prey. I could go plastic (but again not the most eco friendly option) or I could get my hubby to build me a wooden bin in the backyard. I started to dream up where it would go and just how we'd design it. I was going to dig down a bit so there would be less chance of animals getting in and so it could more easily mix in with the dirt, also contemplating lining the bin with a mesh to prevent mice getting in. But then I found the NatureMills Composter... and everything changed!
The NatureMills Composter is a self contained complete composter that in two weeks turns food scraps into dirt! It advertises having no smelly odour, accepting meat and dairy, is fairy quiet, can be placed inside or out, uses only about $0.50 of energy a month and is made from recycled materials. It is pricey but with the efficiency gains and the lack of actual effort needed... we think it'll pay for itself!
What to put in...
Basically all fruits or vegetable can go into any composter. The NatureMills Composter advertises it's ability to accept meat and dairy but most systems don't.
What to leave out...
-Pet Poop
-Pet Poop
-Fats
-Bones
-Chemical treated woods
-Shiny or part-plastic papers
-Chemical treated woods
-Shiny or part-plastic papers
Words from the wiser...
-Proper composting will give off enough heat to deter any small rodent, though if you fail to compost properly it could also be their heaven.
-You need to rotate the compost pile, down to the bottom, at least two times per week
-Due to the see-saw of mice or heat keep the compost well away from your house!
Sources
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