Bins and Barrels Bring Buyers to the Avenue

They wrestled rain barrels into compact cars and coaxed compost bins into backseats.

Gardeners, environmentalists and those who just wanted to save on their water bill flooded the auxiliary parking lot of The Avenue at White Marsh on Saturday for Baltimore County’s annual compost bin and rain barrel sale.

Compost bins, valued at $100, were offered for $35, while $120 rain barrels were sold for $50, including tax, on a first-come first-served basis.

Tim Dunn, a public information specialist with the county Department of Public Works, said the county ordered 1,800 rain barrels and 1,400 compost bins for the sale. Last year, during the first rain barrel sale, the county ran out after selling 1,035. The sale is a joint effort of the Department of Public Works, Bureau of Solid Waste Management and the Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability.

“We’re hoping to sell out,” Dunn said. “We want to get as many products as possible into people’s hands so they can help the environment.”

The county gets the bins and barrels from the manufacturer at a discount, in return for promising plenty of buyers.

“The compost bin reduces the amount of yard materials the residents put out for pick-up, which reduced the number of trucks running around,” Dunn said. “The rain barrels prevent rain water runoff. And the water, which is free of chlorine and water treatment chemicals, is better to use for your garden.”

Gina Schwind, a Baltimore City resident, enlarged her garden in Canton this year. After she saw an item in her community newsletter about the sale, she arrived promptly Saturday morning.

“I have a rain barrel at home and compost in a smaller bin,” she said. “I redid my garden this year and so I need more rain barrels and a bigger compost bin.” But what she really could have used was a bigger car—she had to wrestle the two-piece bins into her Jeep.

“Thankfully, they’re plastic,” she said.

Pete Hudak from Abingdon said he had been looking forward to the sale. It took a bit of wrestling, but he managed to fit the one-piece rain barrel into the cargo space of his hatchback.

“I should have brought my other car,” he said. “I have a garden and I want to save water.”

Newlyweds Kelly and Will Grafton of Perry Hall, who were waiting in line during the sale to buy a compost bin, said they plan to expand their garden. Will, who hails from Louisiana, grew up gardening, although he’s finding the rabbits in Perry Hall to be a bit of a challenge.

“We want to see if we can grow bigger, better, healthier vegetables,” Kelly said. Last year’s garden yielded squash and tomatoes, and this year they’ve expanded it to include peppers, lettuce, green beans and cucumbers.

“This is going well—hopefully everybody is enjoying it,” Dunn said as he surveyed the lines stretching across the parking lot.

Since 1997, the county has sold more than 15,000 compost bins. “There’s always next year if we sell out,” he said.