Compost Revolution
Try out our new online Compost and Wormfarming Tutorial and do the quiz to get your free compost bin or wormfarm.
The Compost Revolution is spreading across the eastern suburbs and beyond with more and more people armed with bins, worms and garden waste tackling the food waste issue, preventing greenhouse gas emissions and loss of nutrients and creating sweet smelling compost to nourish our sandy soils.
With funding from the NSW Environmental Trust the Compost Revolution began in 2009 as a year long community research project with 580 households. Everyone attended a two hour workshop and picked up a free compost or wormfarm and then got to it. Over the year they kept tallies of the food waste they were putting in their compost and filled in regular online surveys. They received monthly e-mail reminders with hints and tips and support. Compost parties and events were held to celebrate and bring people together.
Results from our trial community composting project are in and really quite impressive. Some modelling we did as part of the trial indicated that if 20% of households across the region were composting, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 7% and hundreds of thousands of dollars could be saved in landfill fees, transport and operations. Composting also has significant sustainable living benefits as people begin to use the compost to garden and grow food, reduce the food waste they create and they talk to their neighbours and others about it creating a community.
The trial finished in August 2010 but the Revolution is just gathering momentum. We run Compost and Wormfarming workshops regularly and local residents can get a free compost bin or wormfarm per household. We also run workshops and events on gardening, cooking for low waste, food sustainability and other related topics. Schools and community groups are also composting and you may notice some communal bins around in parks.
The Compost Revolution project received the award for "Leadership in compost community education" at the 2010 Compost Ball.
In 2011 we celebrated International Compost Awareness Week with Compost Cocktails and local neighbourhood workshops in May. We also launched an online compost tutorial with quiz so that more people can learn how to compost well and cut down on food waste even if they can't make it to a workshop
To be a part of the Compost Revolution attend one of our workshops, do the on-line tutorial and quiz, look after a communal bin or garden or get in touch, e-mail info@reduceyourfootprint.com.
To learn more about the Compost Revolution project download the Compost Revolution paper below or contact info@reduceyourfootprint.com.au
To view a great video demonstration of composting starring Costa from Costa's garden Oddessy click here
