Compost and Make a Difference in Your Own Backyard

The City of Santa Monica Solid Waste Management Division and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works will offer a free composting workshop Saturday, June 3.

The workshop will take place in the Patio at Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Avenue, between 9:00-11:00 a.m.

Attend this free composting workshop to learn composting techniques to:

• improve your yard and garden
  
• recycle yard waste and kitchen scraps
  
• reduce waste going to our landfills
  
• create water wise-landscapes
  
• purchase compost bin

The rich nutrients from composted yard trimmings and kitchen scraps add to a garden’s health by reducing waste, water consumption, and chemical use.

Composting reduces costs associated with fertilizers, conditioners, and mulch. Composting also helps residents avoid higher costs for trash disposal and helps the city reduce the burden of recycling the material, further saving money for the community.

The City of Santa Monica will distribute compost bins for the discounted price of $25.00 to residents ($35.00 for non-residents).

How we design, plant, and maintain our gardens impacts our local environment.

* Fact: More pesticides are applied in urban areas than in agricultural areas. The pesticides show up in our waters and impact public health.

* Fact: Typical urban gardens create more carbon dioxide than oxygen due to the motorized garden tools widely used, tools that are many times more polluting than modern automobiles.

* Fact: The green waste generated from landscaped areas is costly to handle and makes up approximately a fifth of all municipal waste generated.

Gardens can be managed to reduce or eliminate all of these impacts and composting is an important first step. Let this workshop be your guide to creating a healthier landscape and environment!

RSVP: 310.458.8546 or e-mail wes.thompson@smgov.net