Agriculturalists, gardening enthusiasts and householders can play their part in helping to divert organic waste from the island’s landfill by learning how to use kitchen and garden waste for composting.
The opportunity will come this Saturday, June 13, as the Solid Waste Project Unit hosts the first in a series of Home Composting workshops at its Maxwelton, Collymore Rock, St. Michael headquarters. It will run from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon.
According to Waste Management Coordinator with Government’s Solid Waste Project Unit, Thora Lorde, the benefits of the workshops are two-fold: "We are seeking to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill, and composting assists us in that regard since organics make up approximately 30 percent of the waste finding its way there. The advantage for householders is that they would be able to use organic waste to make what is essentially a soil conditioner," she explained.
Compost, according to the solid waste official, provides nutrients as well as a conducive environment for plant growth.
The workshops, which will be held on Wednesdays and Saturdays from now until December 5, will be facilitated by three officers from the Solid Waste Project Unit, as well as an agriculturalist from the private sector.
Interested persons may register by contacting the Solid Waste Project Unit, Maxwelton, Collymore Rock, St. Michael, at telephone 427-5910.