Do you compost?
The Prince William County Solid Waste Division is hosting their fifth annual Compost Awareness Day on April 29.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Prince William County Balls Ford Road Yard Compost Facility at 13000 Balls Ford Road in Manassas.
During the event there will be demonstrations from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Prince William Master, composting exhibits, free compost samples, compost bin sales, compost coupon, plant sales, and prizes, according to a release.
“The event promotes backyard composting, which is recycling of leaves, grass and garden waste instead of sending this organic material to the County landfill for disposal. In addition to learning how to compost, residents can also find out how compost helps build healthy soil and enrich degraded soil in yards and gardens. As well as discover the positive effects it has on the environment. For example, it reduces or eliminates the need for fertilizers, which can be harmful to ground water. Composting also saves landfill space. Yard waste is more than 13% of the waste stream in Prince William County, so composting is an important component of the County’s waste management strategy,” stated a release.
More on the event, from a release:
Event attendees can also save money. Coupons good for $5 off the cost of a pick-up truck load of compost or mulch will be available. Compost bins will also be available for sale for $25/each (limit three per household while supplies last).
The basic goals of Compost Awareness Week:
To increase the diversion of organics from the main waste stream through increasing
awareness of, and participation in organics diversion initiatives (centralized composting, home composting, community composting) and;
To increase awareness of, and advocate the proper use of, ‘soil-improving composts’
Prince William Compost Awareness Day supports International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. ICAW supports composting efforts in the back yard or at large scale commercial composting facilities, like the County’s Balls Ford Road site. This year’s theme is Compost! Healthy Soil —Healthy Food. ICAW is held annually the first full week of May. The International Compost Awareness Committee chose this year’s theme to bring attention to the link that compost has in creating healthy soil and consequently healthy food.
