COLUMBIA, S.C. — Susan Carson Lambert was been an at-home gardener since was 20-years-old. She now lives in Columbia and has a beautiful backyard filled with vibrant flowers and a variety of plants.
She credits a large part of her success to the use of a composter. According to SCDHEC, composting is 'the slow, natural decomposition of organics.' Many gardeners use this decay as fertilizer.
It's a tactic Lambert is familiar with. "I cant imagine how much I've kept out of the landfill. Which as an old hippie, makes me very happy."
Now, residents of Columbia and Richland County have the opportunity to purchase their own composter, in addition to a rain barrel through a years-old program. The program, which partners with Rain Water Solutions offers compost bins for $65 and rain water collectors for $75.
Amanda Edwards, from SCDHEC, says there is growing concern over the expansion of landfills in South Carolina and food waste is the number one object in landfills.
"Not only are landfills filling up faster, but food in landfills also produce methane gas so the way that we can stop that is if we stop putting food in landfills," Edwards said. "Composting, rain water collection are essentially all the same thing in closing the loop...we can just keep those natural resources just going through that system."
The 'closed loop' goal is one of Columbia's main motivators. Samantha Yager with Columbia Public Works says they love seeing a person's back yard that doesn't contribute to a negative footprint and saves money. With the use of a rain barrel and a compost bin, someone can create their own fertilizer and have free water to use.
Anyone interested in purchasing equipment is encouraged to visit this website.