The Citizen, 1991-11-27, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1991. PAGE 23.
Composting catching on in Brussels
Environmentally friendly
Brussels clerk Donna White, demonstrates how easy it is to remove composte soil when
needed. The trap door at the bottom lilts to allow for removal by shovel. The village is taking
orders for 50 of the composters at a price of $20 each.
waste into nutrient rich earth
smelling soil to use in flowerbeds,
around shrubs, trees, lawns, gar
dens and even plant boxes.
Many people are concerned
about the odour they fear will
accompany composting or the pests
that might be attracted to the pile,
but Mrs. White says that if there is
a smell or flies around the com-
poster then it is not being done
properly. "You need to add leaves
to get back on track, or if it's loo
wet or too compacted, you have to
turn it. During the summer, the
material should be turned four or
five times, so its well aerated. You
can turn the pile once a week, but
any more frequently the compost
ing will be inhibited.
The length of time it will take for
the compost to be ready depends on
the size of the wastes, the moisture
of the material and the temperature
outside. It can be produced in as lit
tle as two months.
The finished compost can be
removed through convenient doors
at the base of the Soilsaver.
To composte in the winter, Mrs.
White says, you need to start with a
base of fall leaves about 12 inches
high at the bottom, then you can
continued to add the waste, which
will freeze and break down. Then
in the spring, earth is added and the
materials are mixed, which will
begin the decomposing process.
Because she is so interested in
the program, herself, Mrs. White,
who is part of the Economic Devel
opment Committee, is writing to
other municipalities to see how
many have begun composting pro
grams. "It should be kind of inter
esting to find out."
Mrs. While is pleased with the
way the people of Brussels have
become involved. "They are really
good. They want to reduce waste,"
she said.
She is equally impressed by the
way council got behind her idea.
"They have been really positive and
gave me their full support, "she
said. "Their interest in reducing
waste is really wonderful and
deserves to be noted."
by BONNIE GROPP
Three years ago this spring, the
village of Brussels showed a con-
ern for the environment and
embarked upon a recycling pro
gram that has proven itself to be
extremely successful.
Clerk Donna White, who initiat
ed the push for recycling, is very
interested in waste management
ideas and as such she approached
council at the beginning of this past
year about looking into a compost
ing program for the village.
The council had only one stipula
tion and that was that such a pro
gram would not be an extra
financial burden on the municipali
ty. After receiving the unanimous
support of council to see what she
could find out, Mrs. White said she
wrote the Ministry of the Environ
ment requesting information on
how to begin.
The Ministry asked that she
obtain three quotes, which she then
forwarded to them for grant consid
eration. After some months she was
notified that a Municipal Reduc-
tion/Reuse Program grant for two-
thirds of the total cost for two
orders of 50 composters each, had
been approved. The last third is
being made up in sales of the com
posters.They can be purchased
from the village for $20.
Last spring Mrs. White, adver
tised the composters to gel people
interested. Response was enthusias
tic, with 35 people, requesting to
purchase one of the composters.
Now, there are over 20 names on
the list awaiting the next order,
which will be the final opportunity
to get one at this price.
The type of composter the
municipality decided to use, fol
lowing their research is called the
Soilsaver. It comes with an instruc
tional booklet that informs and edu
cates about the proper use of a
composter.
When used correctly, composting
cuts down on household garbage,
by approximately one-third, by
recycling organic material. If you
add composting to recycling you
can actually cut your household
waste almost in half, according to
the brochure. Mrs. White, who is
already composting, says, "It's sur
prising it adds up."
You can compost kitchen scraps,
such as, fruit and vegetable peels,
egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds
and filters. In addition yard wastes
like fallen leaves, grass clippings,
weeds before they seed and the
remains of disease-free garden
plants make excellent compost.
Dairy and meat products, cook
ing oil, and wet grass can not be
composted.
The first step, after purchasing a
composter is to fmd a place for it.
The best location, Mrs. White says
is in the sun conveniently located
to the house. It is important as well,
that it sit on a level piece of ground
as the weight of the material is
evenly distributed. If it is uneven
the lid won't fit.
Mrs. White says that composting
should be done by alternating lay
ers of organic waste. No single
layer should be greater than six
inches thick. Besides the organic
material, the process requires for
success, moisture, air and as an
option soil, which contribute
micro-organisms to the pile. Done
correctly it turns kitchen and yard
EthelThe news from
Compiled by Margaret McMahon Phone 887-9250
13 tables at euchre
There were 13 tables of euchre
played Monday evening at the
Ethel Hall, hosted by Dorothy Dil
worth and Margaret McMahon.
The winners were as follows: hid
den scores, Dorothy Cox and
Charles Harrison; most lone hands,
Verna Crawford and Keith Turn
bull; table number five, Mel Jack-
lin, Jim Smith, Shirley Verstoep,
Annie Smith; low lady, Margaret
Long; low man, Gerald Matheson;
table number 13, Annie Irvine,
Agnes Harrow, Jean Rolof, and
Margaret Peebles; high lady, June
Jacklin; high man, Jack Cox.
The next euchre is December 2 al
8:30 p.m. hosted by Ethel WI.
The annual fall conference of
Ecological Farmers Assoc, was
held Saturday at the Grey Central
School, Ethel.
Congratulations to Jerry and
Barb Laidlaw on the recent arrival
of their daughter, Nicole Margaret
Ann.
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