2015 February Pender Post

The recent composting workshop held at the Community Hall and sponsored by Heartwood Folk School was very well attended and as Jenn reports, very informative. With the new ban on placing food scraps in the garbage many of us are evaluating our options for dealing with kitchen waste. The Green Cone Food Digester was discussed as one option and is sold at the Recycling Depot for $135. It can handle meat, dairy, bread and cooked or processed foods, and works best if some plant material is added on occasion. It needs plenty of sunshine and well-draining soil. A great idea is to share a Food Digester with some neighbours, especially if you have a small household, little food waste or rocky soil on your property. The Green Cone can be placed on a raised bed if digging a hole is a problem. If you would like a referral for someone who can install a Green Cone for you, please ask us at the Depot. At this point we can not recommend building your own food digester as we are unsure if the material will get hot enough to get the process going. If you have successfully built one please let us know. Food Digesters do not produce compost, but we also sell the Earth Machine Composter. It takes only plant material, does not require much sunshine, but does produce compost and needs to be aerated or turned occasionally. This can be done with a ski pole or a specifically designed “Wing Digger” which is made in BC.

Since we are on the topic of soil, this is a great time to order soil or manure for your spring garden. It is delivered as backhaul by the Recycling Society's truck and is picked up in Saanich. Once we get into spring there is often a wait list. Details can be found on our website at www.PenderIslandRecycling.com under Other Services and Activities. On our website you can also see updated information on what is happening with funding of PIRS as well as a link to sign MLA Lana Popham's petition, which would support us.

Now is the time to purchase or renew your PIRS membership. It’s only $20 and can be purchased/renewed at the Depot or online at www.PenderIslandRecycling.com. A charitable tax receipt is available upon request. Thanks for your ongoing support!

You have likely noticed that our Free Store is closed while it is being renovated, but it will reopen soon. We are pleased to continue to give items a second life, and plan to add reusable building materials and some refurbished and repurposed items to the selection. We are also excited to announce a new idea, Friends of Recycling. We are now taking names for anyone interested in volunteering a little time, not to work at the depot, but to do a variety of other things that supports PIRS. This program may expand in new and creative ways. We are all ears when it comes to thinking outside the box in regard to PIRS being more self-sufficient and envisioning a sustainable future for recycling and re-use on the Penders.

We wish you a Happy Valentine's Day, and hope you will be creative in making re-purposed, homemade or low-impact gifts and buying locally. Your actions continue to make them all good days on Pender!

Anna Herlitz