| Friday Five: Inexpensive Rain Barrels |
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| Written by Heleigh Bostwick Friday, 11 May 2012 | |||
 Last week a reader wrote in asking where she could find inexpensive rain barrels, since all she could find were rain barrels costing $100 or more. I thought other Daily Dirt readers might be interested in how to find inexpensive or free (plus the cost to retrofit) rain barrels too so here’s my list. You can go the complete do it yourself route using a plastic trash can as well, but if you have other ideas as to where you can get rain barrels, please let me know! 1. Municipalities and Water Utilities Many municipalities these days are encouraging water saving devices like rain barrels, and as a result, often give them away for free. They probably have a limited supply or may only offer them on certain days or at specific events. They may refer you to the water utility company. 2. Non-profit Organizations If your municipality has no advice, then check out non-profit environmental organizations. They may have giveaways or know of places where you can get free or inexpensive rain barrels. 3. Car Wash I’ve heard that car washes may have 55 gallon barrels that can be retrofitted as rain barrels but have never investigated it myself. I’ve also heard that they recycle them back to the supplier, but it never hurts to ask. 4. Feed Supply Store If you live in a rural area, then another resource to try is the feed supply store where grains might be sold in large containers suitable for rain barrels. 5. Food or Beverage Manufacturing Facility I’ve heard that in Atlanta, GA people can get 55-gallon drums from the Coca-Cola bottling plant for free. This may hold true for other food and beverage manufacturing or bottling facilities. Recommended reading: Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged 
Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape
Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (Vol. 1): Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life And Landscape
Photo source: www.ninemilerun.org |
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