Collect rain? You can if you want, thanks to a compost bin and rain barrel sale going on now through Washington County.
Open as of April 7, the 2025 rain barrel and compost bin sale is open to Washington County residents only, limited to two rain barrels and two compost bins per household.
Orders placed by non-residents will be cancelled, a 20 percent cancellation fee applying to this.
As for residents, orders for the now ongoing sale can be placed with the South Environmental Center at 4039 Cottage Grove Drive in Woodbury, as well as the North Environmental Center at 6065 Headwaters Parkway in Forest Lake. The combined price of one rain barrel and one compost bin is $150 before taxes. A sales tax of 8.375 percent will be added to each order from the South Environmental Center, while an 8.875 percent sales tax will be added to orders from the North Environmental Center. Orders must be picked up within 90 days of purchase or be forfeited.
Residents are asked to stay in their vehicle for pickup and provide driver’s license or proof of residency as well as the transaction ID number at the bottom of their confirmation email. Orders can be placed at the Washington County website at https://www.washingtoncountymn.gov, followed by a search for “Compost bin and rain barrel sale.”
For those who prefer the somewhat longer tab link route, the 2025 rain barrel and compost bin sale can be accessed via the following path: Home; Departments; Public Health and Environment; Environmental Services; Recycling and Waste Disposal; Yard Waste; Compost Bin and Rain Barrel Sale.
As for the benefits of compost, they include improving soil health, preventing soil erosion, assisting in stormwater management by controlling water flows, promoting healthier plant growth, conserving water through its ability to retain and transfer it, and reducing waste, among other benefits.
Once processed by nature, compost can be distributed and used around the yard or house in potted plants, vegetable gardens, flower gardens, new or established trees and shrubbery, established lawns, and seeding of new lawns, per the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
As for rainwater, the underappreciated sky-delivered resource is necessary to all known forms of life, due to water’s role in temperature regulation. A rainwater collection barrel can thus be your lawn or garden’s best friend should drought strike.
Save money this year on garden and flower bed watering by collecting free rainwater, stored up for dry times. Break down leaves and other natural waste matter in a well-aerated compost barrel, giving you new soil to use as needed while also saving on disposal costs for natural waste while benefitting the environment.
With costs rising elsewhere, controlling what you can through prudent storage of natural resources can save money for other needs which can’t be naturally provided. Inventory is moving fast on the rain barrel and compost bin sale; get yours today!