Numbers show Green Cones work
If you purchased a ‘Green Cone’ from Brockton last year, you’ll know the truth to what I’m about to write about.
Green Cones work. With less than one full year of having Green Cones (also known as solar cones) in operation, Walkerton’s tonnage to the landfill dropped six per cent.
Granted some of that will undoubtedly be the direct result of other programs run by the municipality’s environmental advisory committee, but for pure weight, I think Green Cones deserve a great deal of the credit.
If you’re not using one, just think of how much ‘green waste’ (kitchen waste) you’re throwing into the landfill. Everything you use to prepare dinner – potato peels, vegetable peels, and even the left over meat and bones – can all be diverted by putting into the cone.
We purchased one early last year and it’s as good as the advanced billing it received. My wife and I installed it ourselves and haven’t had a problem. While there’s only the two of us, we do go through a lot of fruits and vegetables and, in the summer, melons.
However, no matter how much we’ve added to the cone, it seems to disappear as fast as a new batch gets added. And, concerns about potential odours or animals were, um, fruitless.
We were a little worried about how it would operate in the winter, but those fears have also proven to be unwarranted.
Last year the municipality sold approximately 220 cones to residents. They will probably get more for this summer.
To me it’s a no risk-no brainer for diverting waste to a landfill.
If Hanover would come on board, we might not even need a landfill expansion. Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but Green Cones sure will add to the life expectancy of any landfill.