Bullets seem to fly from aC's machine gun at the thought of a few clumps of bamboo. In China all the village waste is spread among the bamboo where it rots away - an alternative to landfill, compost heaps etc. Waste disposal is another use for bamboo.
Seeds of various species are available commercially so outlay should be small.
There is a clump about 20 ft. high in our garden here. So good luck! In 3-5 years you could make a little bamboo house.
S.