Austin's Home Composting Rebate
Greetings Austinites, Amber here from Morenovision. Just dropping by with a public service announcement. Do you have loftier hopes for your food scraps than your ever-full trash bin? Do you find yourself tracing putrid odors back to that same bin over and over? When looking at your utility bill, do you pay the “Clean Community Service Fee?” YES?!? You may* qualify for a $75 rebate on a home composting system!
Simply complete a composting education class online (a 14 minute youtube video) or with your community at any of these upcoming classes. Afterwards, you fill out a short rebate application and slay an even shorter questionnaire with your new composting knowledge.
Decide on a sunny location outside then shop online to research the size and style for you. These local businesses have partnered with the city by accepting the Go Local $75 coupon that will be mailed out after your application is accepted (allow a minimum of 2 weeks for processing.)
If you're like me, you scour amazon for something priced around $75 and pull the trigger. I chose this model by Miracle Gro, and despite having to bully customer service to receive some missing hardware, (never under estimate the power of Twitter!) I have come to appreciate its simplicity and tumble it whenever I need a Price Is Right moment. Now, if it's been raining, the only prize you stand to win will drain right onto your shoes.
How to choose the right composter for you? Depending on your lifestyle, you may want a single or double chamber model. A double barrel composter will allow you to leisurely fill up one side and let it cook while you work on the second chamber, and speaking as an avid produce consumer, I find the first side of my Miracle Gro fills up quick (and it can hold 18.5 gallons). Check out this list to see what you could be saving from your trash bin.
The beauty of this model is that you don't have to figure out a place to store your rotting compostables while you wait for your batch to cook. You'll learn all about the process in your class, but the basics of composting are simple: you balance a 2:1 ratio of nitrogen (greens) and carbon (browns), turning your pile to maintain airflow and assist in breakdown. When you're no longer seeing whole pieces of rotting matter and your mass of stuff is basically a cohesive collection of rich earth, you're ready to add it to the garden, but this can take up to six months.
If you choose to go with an online retailer, you pay upfront and wait for your rebate check, which takes a minimum of 8 weeks to process. My check took 11 weeks to arrive, but after e-depositing it I ripped it up and tossed it into my well-loved dual chamber tumbling composter to rot. Meta!!!
DO check your bill for that "Clean Community Fee"as it is a qualifier for eligibility. In the time it took you to read this post, you could've been composting hair, nail trimmings, condoms, dryer lint, wool, rope, matches, manure, pet food, even your paper utility bill. Rot on!
Complete details, terms and conditions available at www.austintexas.gov/composting
