Ever thought about collecting rain water in your green waste bin to water your garden?

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This morning, Green Halo came across an innovative idea worth spreading. The Water Question of the Day from The Sacramento Bee was about whether or not rain water should be collected in a green-waste container when the weather’s rainy to water plants with. The answer to this question is yes, but the main precautions follow.

The Sacramento Bee writer explains that the biggest issue with this method is keeping mosquitos out of saved water. The writer advises people who want to collect rain water to close the lid, cover the water with a screen to keep mosquito larva out and lastly an aquatic oil can be added to the container. What is aquatic oil you might ask? Aquatic oil contains mineral oil which spreads across the top of the water to form a surface that suffocates mosquitos. There are also larvicides that can be added to the water which are safe for plants. To equip a green-waste bin with a small screen and/or larvicide can cost less than $4 and a multi-functional green-waste bin can be a fun addition to any garden.

The last precaution is that collecting rain water is actually illegal in many states across the US partially due to the previous precaution so you’ll want to check that this is legal in your state.

If you want to purchase a bin or see what your green-waste bucket can look like, this is also a good explanation: http://www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/collect_rainwater/