Bokashi is a system of processing food waste into valuable nutrient by way of fermentation

Picture credit: Erin Conway

“Imagine Bokashi as kombucha for your garden. It's full of amazing microorganisms and nutrients for your soil and as it's partially decomposed, it will break down very fast in your compost bin or pile" Katrina

Bokashi Basics: How it works! 
The Bokashi method is as simple as it gets. Food scraps are placed in an airtight container and covered with a scattering of inoculated material (anaerobic fermentation microbes), usually bran. Once covered with the Bokashi bran, the food scraps are broken down, fermented and effectively “pre-composted” or, pickled. During the breakdown process, a small amount of liquid byproduct is produced which is high in nutrient and can be used as liquid fertiliser. Since fermentation is much faster than composting, the Bokashi system can produce fermented material in as quick as one week!

Meat, fish, bones, diary–Bokashi method is suitable for food waste

The benefit of this method is that you can ferment just about anything! E.g. meat, fish, grease, bones, to dairy products and even baked waste. Once processed by anaerobic microbes through Bokashi, these pre-composted materials can be included in your regular active composting systems for added nutritional components or buried into soil. You no longer have to contribute ANY organic kitchen scraps to landfill.

"I use my Bokashi juice either diluted and watered onto my few pot plants or directly down the drain. I haven’t had any drain problems since using it" Danielle

If you are a ShareWaste compost host, accepting donations of Bokashi pre-compost and adding it to your pile or soil is an incredible addition to the overall diversity of nutrients and microbes in your compost system, and therefore soil/garden.

ShareWaste donor Claudia showing how to bury Bokashi pre-compost. Watch full episode: https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/compost-creatives/10396910
Picture credit: ABC Gardening Australia

I like Bokashi but what if we don't have a garden?

For people who wish to use the Bokashi method but don't have an access to a garden, disposing of the pre-compost can be a challenge. This is where ShareWaste network can help you out! Once you have registered, you can contact your nearby ShareWaste host to see if they would be happy to accept your pre-compost. Many ShareWaste hosts truly appreciate Bokashi pre-compost because of its high nutritional value.

Bokashi can be a great stylish countertop alternative to conventional compost and waste processing

Bokashi Science: The Bokashi mix is made up of inoculated grain and molasses. The three key strains of microbes used are: Lactobacillus spp., Saccharomyces spp. (common yeast), and Rhodopseudomonas spp.
These yeasts and bacteria are found all around us and can be harvested at home, or bought from Bokashi specialising companies. The same micro-organisms are also found in starter cultures when making sourdough, kombucha, sourkraut and yoghurt. Only this time, instead of being harnessed to feed us directly, we are using them to feed the soils.

"We live in an apartment and have now two bokashi bins. It means that one can sit and ferment while we fill the other. This way we don't waste any scraps" Erin

Alexis Haw on her regular Bokashi visit to Katrina's garden.
Picture Credit: Katrina Forstner, http://www.buzzanddig.com.au

Bokashi Pre-compost:
 It is recommended to further compost your final Bokashi waste before adding it to your soil, as the raw product having just been fermented in anaerobic conditions can be quite acidic. Many people advise against planting your Bokashi pre-compost in direct contact with plant roots as it causes the plants stress and spikes their PH, so add it to your compost to avoid any potential damage. After 10 days of additional composting, the PH of your Bokashi pre-compost will level out, and it will turn into nutrient rich soil/compost. Another alternative is to bury the pre-compost directly into the soil (remember to avoid plant roots).

Bokashi and Worms (vermiculture): 
Personally, I have used Bokashi waste in my worm farm at home with no problem! When working with living wiggly workers they can be temperamental to change, so introducing small amounts at a time to accustom them is highly recommended. Small amounts of Bokashi waste in your worm farm works wonders, keep an eye on the system to gauge how they are reacting and when/if you can add more.

Picture Credit: @losperrosurbanfarming

Bokashi is easy to use
, cheap and affordable
, and extremely fast. It gains multiple yields (the final fermented material + liquid fertiliser) and required very little maintenance. If you are looking to reduce your environmental impact and play a positive role in regenerating soil humus, but lack the space and/or time to commit to worm farms and compost bin, Bokashi bins were made for you!

Troubleshooting

The various Bokashi literature indicates the difference between a “sweet and sour odor,” indicating fermentation akin to the smell of sourdough culture, and a “foul odour,” indicating decay. If a Bokashi bin begins to smell foul, it may be as quick a fix as adding more microbial mix and making sure liquid is draining out of the bins faucet. If this does not rectify the problem, it may be time to accept something has gone wrong, thoroughly rinse out the bin, and start again.

Are you an apartment dweller? Here are two important things to consider before you decide for the Bokashi method:

Bokashi isn't odour-free but the odour shouldn’t be foul. If your Bokashi bin is closed and you can still smell it, you are probably doing something wrong. The fermentation process can result in quite a strong sour smell so consider your housemates or flatmates before introducing a Bokashi to your home. If you have a balcony, the best place for your new Bokashi will be there.

“We accept donations through ShareWaste and also use the Bokashi method ourselves. People can be turned off by the smell of Bokashi but after a few goes, I’ve found that if you have a terrible smell – you usually aren’t doing something right” Amy

Your Bokashi will need to be emptied every 2 or more weeks, depending on the amount of waste your household produces and the size of the Bokashi. Find a place to dispose of your pre-compost before you opt for the Bokashi method (you can visit ShareWaste.com map for local drop-off spots).

Bokashi Tips for ShareWaste Hosts and Donors

ShareWaste is designed for people to meet but every Host is different and has a specific composting system and set-up in their garden. That is why our Hosts have various arrangements with their Donors to suit their individual needs. Whatever agreement you have is fine as long as it suits both sides. Happy sharing!

Many thanks to ShareWaste community members Suzi Shaw, Katrina Forstner, Chris Williams, Amy Lewis, Erin Conway, Danielle and many others for their valuable comments and feedback on the Bokashi method.

by Lucy Moray (Mornington Peninsula, Victoria)

I saw ShareWaste on Gardening Australia and thought it was a great idea, so I decided to sign up. I wasn't expecting a lot of donations because we live in a more country area where most people have land and compost their own waste.

And then Carly, a grammar school outdoor education teacher, reached out to me on ShareWaste saying that they had 100 boys on camp near our farm and if we would be able to recycle their food waste. She also wanted to know what food we could accept.

Carly reached out to me on ShareWaste saying that they had 100 boys on camp near our farm and if we would be able to recycle their food waste

We live on 2 acres and have an A&A worm farm waste system in place of a septic tank, so we can put all sorts of organic waste into it. The worms break it down and the castings get flushed through with the waste water from the house into underground irrigation pipes in the orchard so the trees get all the nutrients. Because the system is fully enclosed, the rats can't get in, so all food waste can go in.

Carly ended up bringing one and a half 60L containers of food waste! There was quite a lot of bulky waste (even untouched apples to our dismay) so we put it into wheelbarrows and also checked that no plastic had got in. I also pulled out some juicy bits to feed the chooks and then chopped it up with a spade to reduce the size.

Most of it went into the worm farm but I also filled up a compost bin with the rest and some other garden waste and shredded waste paper from my home office.

We live off grid for power, water and gas and love trying to keep a closed loop as much as possible-not letting water or nutrients leave our block if possible!

It was a great experience. Carly also promised to put pictures in their school newsletter and has passed on our info to other teachers who might be interested in doing the same thing.

We live off grid for power, water and gas and love trying to keep a closed loop as much as possible-not letting water or nutrients leave our block if possible! I'm looking forward to harvesting another load of compost when this is ready!

Thanks for developing this app! We've been thinking about getting in touch with the campsite owners to see if this might work for other school camps.

All pictures credit: Lucy Moray

Thank you Lucy for such an inspiring report and kudos to Carly for organising this!

Waking up early, be it to beat the morning sun and jump in the garden or to hit the road and head to the office, can sometimes be a real struggle. We have all had those mornings where it seems you can almost hear your pillow whispering “just ten more minutes”. Luckily most of us have discovered and fallen in love with the miracle elixir that is... COFFEE.

It is no mystery that we humans have a serious addiction to coffee. Coffee is the second largest traded commodity after petroleum and one of the most enjoyed beverages around the world. There’s nothing quite like the sight of steam rising over a fresh cup of coffee. However, as you may know, any pleasures enjoyed in excess can lead to imbalance and catastrophe. In the case of coffee, our insatiable appetite has resulted in one of the gardening worlds hottest new topics. Spent Coffee Grounds. Most commonly referred to as “SCG”. Spent Coffee Grounds are the waste product made in the final stages of brewing.

Each day, the world consumes an estimated 2.25 billion cups of coffee while an average cafe throws out around 80kilos of spent coffee grounds a week! Whilst we all do our best to keep that “keep cup” clean and by our side at all times, it is not only disposable cups that make their way towards the dead end that is landfill. Cafes ditch substantial amounts of SCG daily, and when sent to landfill they decompose and produce methane, a greenhouse gas with over 25 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide.

Each day, the world consumes an estimated 2.25 billion cups of coffee while an average cafe throws out around 80kilos of spent coffee grounds a week

However, since the intensification of the coffee industry began compost pioneers, stinky hippies, greenies and gardeners alike observed this careless pattern of waste and decided to intervene. Diverting SCG from landfill and putting it to good use in their compost and gardens! Given the copious amounts of waste thanks to the popularity of coffee, let's not only think of ourselves when getting a coffee. By reusing and recycling the byproducts our garden can get a nutritious boost as well, stretching the overall lifespan of this cherished resource whilst simultaneously strengthening the overall sustainability of the coffee industry.

SCG 101: SCGs are a nutrient hot hub!

They are rich in potassium, magnesium and phosphorus and when added to soil provide a powerful boost of nitrogen and potassium (the first and third numbers in the fertiliser formula NPK). SCG on its own has a NPK Ratio of 2-0.3-0.2 It can be used directly onto your garden, however is most beneficial when added to and used alongside organic amendments such as compost, vermicast, manure and biochar (charcoal). These amendments provide additional nutrients, enhance water holding capacities, improve soil structure, and increase biological inter-activity and diversity.

Compost Bin or Worm Farm

The most obvious destination for any organic waste is the compost bin. So what do SCG’s do for your compost? SCG’s are a powerful nitrogen element to compost heaps. An excellent activator to get your heaps hot and steamy! They further develop complex structure so as to absorb and hold moisture which is key to every compost pile. An added benefit for all you waste conscious city slickers is that they are one of the few sources of nitrogen ubiquitously available all year round!

SCGs are a nutrient hot hub! They are rich in potassium, magnesium and phosphorus and when added to soil, provide a powerful boost of nitrogen and potassium

Bacteria dominant Vermiculture systems (worm farms) thrive with SCG. Add it to soak up any nasty odours, whilst simultaneously juicing up your little wiggly workers with the good stuff. They love it! A recommended addition of SCG would fall at no more than 20% to your whole compost ratio.

Domestic Use

Spent Coffee Grounds and baking soda share many common domestic uses. Both baking soda and SCG’s love to eat odour. Place an open jar of SCG’s at the back of your fridge or in a cup in your car to eliminate the buildup of unwanted odours. Introducing SCG’s into your beauty regime will do also do wonders. For a zero waste at home face scrub or beauty blend try a mix of avocado, coconut oil, and a small amount of SCG. The sand like structure of SCG will act as a scrub and help gently scrape off dead skin cells. You’ll be glowing AND you’ll smell great!

Worms love coffee

Mushrooms

SCG can and have been used as a substrate for growing your own gourmet mushrooms at home! Although only appropriate for specific varieties of fast growing mushrooms, such as White Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus Ostreatus), this added reuse component of SCG is extremely useful for those who want to nurture a grow at home lifestyle and minimise waste.

Pest Control

They may look like they need a coffee, but many gardeners would tell you that slugs could not think of anything worse. A sprinkle of fresh spent coffee grounds around the right plants may do the trick in controlling pest numbers and deterring unwanted slimy visitor! As always, when adding new elements into your garden, start small to acclimatise the system to the new addition. Overloading your garden with SCG in one big hit could be too much for some of the more sensitive plants to handle.

The Great SCG Controversy

Despite popular belief, SCG’s aren’t nearly as acidic as commonly thought. The acidic quality found in roasted coffee is water-soluble, so by the time your coffee has been brewed the grounds have an almost neutral pH-level (average SCG rates 6.9 pH). This, in addition to concerns about pH levels rising post pure SCG use have been proven unlikely by a study conducted by Dr Stephen Livesley and Sarah Hardgrove from the University of Melbourne.

As always, when adding new elements into your garden, start small to acclimatise the system to the new addition

Start by incrementally adding new components to your garden, to allow affected areas to gradually adapt to the new changes. As such, we recommend adding SCG’s to your compost to allow for further decomposition of any unknown toxic components, and for the improved water holding capacity benefits to fully come to fruition. On a personal note, after years of experience using SCG’s, myself and multiple other SCG users have nothing but positive things to say.

After all is said and done, I think you have earned yourself another cup. Time to race to your nearest coffee shop and ask for a lend of their sweet SCG. Most coffee shops will be more than happy to help you out, and getting to know your local barista can also have its additional benefits! Time to take full advantage of this underutilised waste product and get composting! Mmm.. Maybe just a quick coffee first...

Food Is Free Laneway is a grassroots community led food security platform which eliminates food wastage and brings the community together with 40 volunteers helping out. It is a platform every neighbourhood and town should have. Read more to see why.

What exactly is Food is Free Laneway Ballarat?

Food Is Free is every person who has shared something in the Laneway—it might be a chat, some food, soil or seeds. Food Is Free is also every person who has taken something from the Laneway–an idea, some food or some faith in humanity. Food Is Free is a committed bunch of volunteers and a dedicated committee that helps the wheels keep turning.

Food Is Free is also every person who has taken something from the Laneway–an idea, some food or some faith in humanity.

Lou Ridsdale, the Founder of Food is Free Laneway Ballarat

While we try to be as equitable as possible, we are only a small group and can only do what we can with the resources we have. We try our best and are proud of what a community of strangers have come together to achieve.

For how long has the project been going on?

Our all inclusive Laneway has been going for 4 whole years now!

And how large is the site? Would you describe it as a community garden in a laneway?

It’s a fairly long laneway beside my rental property—about 30 meters long and .5 metre wide. It is more than a community garden in a laneway—it’s a food security platform where people are not only able to drop off and pick up fresh veggies, fruit or herbs along with seedlings and seeds to grow their own food, but also able to drop off their items to contribute to the project assisting us make more soil such as veggie scraps, egg cartons, egg shells, plus jars, bottles or pots to exchange.

We have about 30 people per week who fill up two wheelie bins per fortnight with scraps.

Do you know how many people bring you their kitchen scraps?

We have many visitors delivering their kitchen scraps: families, individuals and some cafes and restaurants. I would say we have about 30 people per week who fill up two wheelie bins per fortnight with scraps. That’s a whopping 80 litres of compost each week which goes to making our own soil to grow more food for our community! On a very busy day we have about 100 people visit the Laneway (not all dropping off scraps of course, but that gives you an idea of the scope of how many people pop in.)

A rainbow over the Laneway

We’ve found that unexpected benefits are often the best thing about starting a community project.

There are so many benefits running a Food Is Free. The most unexpected thing was that a lot of people come more for conversation and connections, rather than the actual food itself. That is a really lovely thing to know people gravitate towards our magical space for those purposes.

The most unexpected thing was that a lot of people come more for conversation and connections, rather than the actual food itself.

What are the most common activities your volunteers help with?

It’s really varied: whilst the bulk of our volunteers ensure the Laneway is safe and clean and water our plants, we also have other volunteers doing art projects or crafts, but others still who work behind the scenes too in committees, such as fundraising, event management, governance (our Inc. Committee meets once a month but work daily on tasks), admin, PR, social media, marketing etc.

What important milestones helped move the project forward or grow?

I’d say that the fact that someone left a piece of parsley a few weeks after the project was set up with a note saying ‘Thought you may need this’ made the traction start (rather than leaving our food out from our backyard, visitors started leaving their food too which swung it all into action).

The other huge milestone was when City Of Ballarat granted us the use of extra land over the road at a recreation space (Western Oval) which we’ve turned into Food Is Free Green Space, for us to grow food en masse to bring over to the Food Is Free Laneway.

The other huge milestone was when City Of Ballarat granted us the use of extra land over the road at a recreation space.

In the future in that space we’ll hold workshops and tours and skill shares to really empower our community to learn how to be more self-sufficient and grow their own food. That milestone really made us realise what we can achieve and deliver more impactful assistance to our community in Ballarat as well as forging foreword with the knowledge we not only had town support, but Council as well.

Linnea, a Laneway volunteer and the compost Queen

Is there anything you wish you knew when starting the project?

I didn’t envisage how many amazing connections I would make from setting it up in 2014. It’s been a real gift getting to know my neighbourhood better, and I enjoy chatting to regulars who come to visit, as well as befriending so many of our volunteers. Community connections are really joyous—the world needs more of this to happen as we become more and more isolated from those living around us.

Community connections are really joyous—the world needs more of this to happen as we become more and more isolated from those living around us.

What would you recommend to people who would love to start Food is Free in their community?

Do it with whatever flavour and intention you wish, it’s open source and there are no strict rules.

Should you choose to make it big scale or small scale, it doesn’t matter: Food Is Free is a simple as randomly leaving a zucchini on your letterbox with a sign saying #FOODISFREE or a box of lemons at the bus stop for others to enjoy; it can be you setting up a Food Is Free stall in a public space with your neighbours either as a random Pop Up or as an established temporary thing; or just grow veggies on your front lawn for others to take—sky is the limit and you’ll love doing it! Promise.

Visit the Food is free Laneway Ballarat online and say Hi, you're amazing:
http://www.foodisfree.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/foodisfreelanewayballarat/

Thank you for creating a safe heaven where people can get together, learn, laugh and share.

Lakeside Drive Community Garden is a two acre garden in Darwin, Australia. It functions as a demonstration site for tropical food production, sustainable living education and also participates in the Dole Program (an Australian work-based welfare program). The activities in the garden and the enthusiasm of its volunteers go far beyond the boundaries of the garden.

Tell us a little bit about the Garden?

It was set up 10 years ago by a student group from Charles Darwin University and now it's open to and organised by the general community. The garden is based upon permaculture principles and we grow all of our food organically.

Original founders of Lakeside Drive Community Garden

How many regular volunteers help run the Community Garden and how often do they get together?

We currently have 70 members. Most of them participate by attending our monthly workshops, weekly nature playgroup, weekly working bees and other special events. The bulk of the gardening and maintenance is done by the Work for the Dole Crew that runs three mornings a week. All of the management and administration of the garden is currently done by a few dedicated volunteers. We would like to get a part-time position for a garden coordinator and introduce private plots for community organisations and households.

The Garden has been involved in many activities and the volunteers have been working hard towards the vision of community you created together.

Yes, we have a lot of additional projects running based upon the passions and energy of the members involved. Over the last year and a half we have had a focus on waste education and waste reduction. We also receive grant funding from the City of Darwin and Northern Territory Government that assists us to run our activities and improve our infrastructure (we recently got a fence and a shed).

The garden runs a gardening playgroup for children. That's a great idea but not very common.

We have just started Little Gardeners of Lakeside Drive which is a playgroup that brings together more than 20 families. The playgroup was the initiative of one of our members, Billee McGinley who is a mum with a two year old. She wanted to see more play areas in the garden, as well as regular kid-friendly activities. With some grant funding from the City of Darwin we set up our weekly playgroup that includes gardening, cooking, art and music activities.

With some grant funding from the City of Darwin we set up our weekly playgroup that includes gardening, cooking, art and music activities.

Little Gardeners playgroup in action

Could you tell us more about the waste education activities?

For the last two years we have partnered with the Environment Centre NT and the Festival organisers to reduce landfill waste generated at the Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival. This included creating three educational Waste Wise stations. Volunteers staffed the Waste Wise stations and helped festival goers to separate their rubbish correctly and answered more general questions about composting and recycling.

We are also currently testing ‘compostable’ products, such as cups, plates, cutlery and bags to find out whether they breakdown in a backyard compost and how long that process takes.

The Waste Wise stations have since gone on to be used at other events including the Botanic Gardens Open Day, Transitions Film Festival and Katherine Junk Festival. We are also currently testing ‘compostable’ products such as cups, plates, cutlery and bags to find out whether they breakdown in a backyard compost and how long that process takes.

This year the Garden co-organised a WasteWise festival and collected 174kg of organic material. The contamination of the waste was surprisingly low for such a public event (less than 0.01%). What do you think was the key to this success?

I think the low contamination rates were due to a few reasons. Most importantly was the willingness and support of stall holders and the general public to take the time to separate their rubbish. People were supportive of the initiative and they wanted to do the right thing. Generally people understand what is organic material and where there was any confusion our volunteers were able to answer questions and assist. The clear signage and bin covers also helped.

It was all very immediate and direct compared to other types of recycling, where materials are sent interstate or overseas.

There was also a high degree of accountability. The people collecting the organic waste were also composting it on a site that was only 5 mins away. It was all very immediate and direct compared to other types of recycling, where materials are sent interstate or overseas.

You also started collecting and saving food scraps from a local cafe. How does that work?

Our garden is located on the edge of Charles Darwin University campus in Darwin. We have been picking up food scraps from the Ugly Duckling University cafe twice a week for the last 5 months. The cafe staff separate their fruit and veggie scraps as they work and at the end of the day throw them into our standard 60L black plastic bin that is clearly labelled LDCG Compost. Twice a week we swap the bin over with an empty one and take the food scraps back to the garden to compost.

Your efforts in education and waste reduction have already resulted in some very positive outcomes.

Yes! All of these activities, in conjunction with the efforts of other community organisations such as Waste Free NT have created considerable momentum in our relatively small city. ABC Radio Darwin has been very supportive following our waste reduction activities, with two of the presenters starting to compost for the first time.

In January 2018 this ban will be extended to all festivals and events that are held on Council land. We are looking forward to plastic free markets and festivals next year.

The City of Darwin Council has also responded to the groundswell of community concern. They recently committed to phasing out single use plastic from their own Council events and operations. In January 2018 this ban will be extended to all festivals and events that are held on Council land. We are looking forward to plastic free markets and festivals next year. The next step is a commercial composting operation for Darwin.

Georgia Glen, Committee Secretary of Lakeside Drive Community Garden

Many activities you do are dependent on volunteer labour and transport. What motivates the volunteers to stay involved in the garden activities in long term?

I can't speak for everyone involved, but I am motivated by a desire for a greener, more sustainable city. I have been living in Darwin for 20 years and care deeply about the place I live. I would like to see more local, organic food production (most of our food is transported 3000km), a better use and valuing of our resources (less waste, more reuse and recycling) and conservation of our native bush and mangrove areas.

If no-one is doing what you would like to see happen, than start it.

I have been finding that the best way to create change is to talk to everyone you know about your ideas, find out what other people and organisations are already doing and work with them. If no-one is doing what you would like to see happen, than start it. Actions, no matter how rudimentary or small scale, help to raise awareness, start conversations and provide a practical example for how things can be done differently.

Water wise workshop

Your Garden has joined ShareWaste recently and the number of compost hosts in Darwin and surrounds rocketed immediately from zero to sixteen! Do you have an explanation for that?

Yes, we are very excited by the increasing use of ShareWaste in Darwin this year. When I first heard about the ShareWaste site via Waste Free NT, I thought it was such a great idea. I signed up immediately as a host and than shared the information via Facebook. I also emailed all of the other community gardens to let them know about the site. When I am doing talks, workshops and radio interviews about composting I mention ShareWaste. Many people in Darwin live in apartments and they are wanting to deal with their food waste responsibly, ShareWaste facilitates a simple, practical solution. I hope the use of the site and the uptake of composting continues to grow.

Visit the garden online: https://www.facebook.com/lakesidedrivecommunitygarden/

Thank you, Georgia, for your support and inspiring answers.

Katrina has been one of the first hosts and has already connected with more than 20 neighbours through the ShareWaste app. She loves gardening and is passionate about native bees. Katrina has expanded her composting hub with support from the City of Darebin, her local council, by acquiring a large 400L compost bin to be able to accommodate more organic material, allowing even more people to get involved. Her current mission is to weigh the amount of waste she and her donors have diverted from landfill and calculate this into greenhouse gases saved to demonstrate the benefits of a local composting hub.

How long did it take for the first person to connect with you after you registered as a host?

It was a couple of months before I connected with someone because I registered in the early days of ShareWaste. I now have a couple of enquiries every week.

How often do your donors come and how much organic material do they bring?

Some are definitely weekly regulars, such as Suzan, an apartment dweller who drops off her small 3kg compost bucket on her regular pram walk. Others come once a fortnight and with two large 10L buckets from their shared household. I've got someone who comes once every two months with his compost and cat litter in two buckets, but the contents weigh at least 20 kilos combined, which is similar to my two different Bokashi system users. My average weekly amount of saved organic waste so far has been around 35 Kilos and counting!

My average weekly amount so far has been around 35 Kilos and counting!

That’s amazing! How does the drop-off work? Is there any general system for all your scraps donors?

All my donors work on a similar system: they all bring the same bucket and pick up an empty bucket which I have emptied and rinsed out them stacked by the front door. Some of my users let me know when they are dropping by—especially Bokashi donors so I can rinse their bucket straightaway. Sometime we have a chat, look in the garden for herbs and chillies. Most are just dropping their buckets off at their convenience.

What containers do people use to collect their kitchen scraps?

The white food grade buckets which were donated to me by The Compost Depot, a community composting organisation or collected by donors from local bakeries, middle eastern shops or even plasterers have a fully sealable lid and sturdy handle so I know they can last the distance and don't create any smells at my donors or my place when full. We've got a decal label on some of the lids with Dos and Don'ts tips which helps first time users.

Do you know why they don’t recycle their scraps at home and rather chose to connect with you?

A lot of my donors are in the rental market, or apartment dwellers or just don't have the capacity or space for looking after a compost bin. One share household hasn't got support from their landlord, but most come from new apartment blocks a ten minute walk away.

I often see some of the regulars around and it's fostered a nice sense of community.

Have you made any contact with them outside the app?

Yes if we catch each other by chance at the front door, I usually check if they'd like some herbs or surplus goodies from my garden. Some of the kids love to visit the chickens of course or just enjoy seeing the flowers. I often see some of the regulars around and it's fostered a nice sense of community.

How do you use the donated scraps?

I've got four compost bins and a worm farm and I am so grateful to have homemade compost for my edible garden. I obviously generate a lot of compost and have been creating a bee friendly garden with lots of pollinator attracting flowers. It's been great as I've also supplemented my bins with coffee grounds delivered for free by Reground coffee. Coffee grounds are an amazing activator in my bins so my compost can be ready in as little as six weeks.

I've got four compost bins and a worm farm and I am so grateful to have homemade compost for my edible garden.

Are you aware of any concerns donors may have regarding the drop-off or meeting the host for the first time?

Some donors like to meet face to face just to be familiarised with the system, especially if they're new to composting. Some of my Bokashi users have felt a bit embarrassed at the smell and sight of their bins. I just laugh as we do a quick rinse of the empty bucket with the hose and let them know that my worms love partially decomposed food scraps! The smell is just a part of the natural process.

Did you as a host have any concerns?

At first I thought there'd be a lot of compost contamination such as plastics, but my donors have been awesome and I feel the compost tips on the stickers from the Compost Depot have been really useful. There's the occasional fruit sticker, something that I'm guilty of too, but generally all the food scraps have been cut up, the lids have been fully sealed on the buckets and now everyone has been enthusiastic in writing down their full bin in a set of scales by the front door.

Have you compost bins ever reached their full capacity?

Since the City of Darebin has supported our communal composting hub, I've been able to place a 400L compost bin in the front garden as an overflow which not only enables my full compost bins to compost, but enables the system to run smoothly if I'm away for a period of time as donors can just empty their bins themselves.

What do you like most about ShareWaste?

I like that I can reach out to people in my local neighbourhood who are happy to drop off their scraps to me and help my garden flourish. I like that most of the donors are passionate at making a change by diverting their kitchen scraps from landfill and don't live too far away so are able to come on foot, or on the way to the shops as part of their weekly routine. It's really easy to answer questions either through the ShareWaste app or as a reply email.

Also don't be afraid to ask for extra carbon such as paper scraps, egg cartons and even clean pet litter because you'll need to keep your bins in balance with all the nitrogen rich organic scraps.

Do you have some useful tips for new donors?

Have a system that you don't have to be around for which keeps it easy for your donors. I find the swapping a full bucket for an empty really works so keep it simply with what type of container you select. I've upcycled kitchen catering buckets used for yoghurt, cheese etc that have a good sealable lid and easy to hold handle. Also don't be afraid to ask for extra carbon such as paper scraps, egg cartons and even clean pet litter because you'll need to keep your bins in balance with all the nitrogen rich organic scraps. I like to meet donors and feel the love of the ShareWaste community and feel it's great to give back with some garden herbs. My next step would be to make a little herb garden accessible for donors to pick a few herbs.

Thank you, Katrina, for sharing your experience and valuable insights:)

Want to know more, head to Katrina's site on native bees
and gardening:
https://www.facebook.com/buzzanddig
http://www.buzzanddig.com.au/

Mary, you mentioned to me your family had no experience in hospitality when you took over the cafe. Who came with the idea?

Our youngest son was living here on the Gold Coast, Australia. We wanted a change from broad acre farming and nursing in the Wimmera, Victoria. We liked the area of Currumbin on the Gold Coast so we could try something totally new. After all it is another business, isn’t it? Just as farming is a business! But totally different. This was a huge learning curve that we have survived. Going from producing a totally raw product to a meal that people consume is sooo different!

When you took over the cafe, what were the main things you wanted to change?

When we started, there was little respect for the waste that was going into landfill. The use of polystyrene take away containers, food and coffee grind (both wet and dry) were thrown in the garbage. Glass and anything recyclable was thrown into the general waste for landfill. On the farm we always tried to save wherever we could. I loved the fact that our waste from the kitchen could most of the time be consumed by our chickens or could be used for a compost heap to benefit my garden. Our glass and plastic recyclables were collected fortnightly which was so positive to know that something could be made from them and not just going to landfill.

When we started, there was little respect for the waste that was going into landfill.

How did you come up with the idea of collecting food scraps and coffee grinds and offering them back to the customers?

Well, the staff probably thought that I was going mad! Mind you, I think my husband thought the same. To get “town people” to collect our scraps, I think he thought that everybody would think I was mad. One of our main supervisors at the time was into saving landfill, so she actually encouraged me at all times. We trialled it with a sign on the counter offering food scraps for anybody with chickens, ducks or who would just like them for their compost heap. Most people read the sign and liked the idea. Credit has to go to our staff who also had to change their ways with disposing of food waste and storing it for customers. Without the staff taking it on board it couldn’t happen.

Could you please describe how the system works?

All food scraps from the kitchen prep work is collected in our ten litre ice cream containers. All food off the plates of the customers is scraped into ten litre containers placed by the rubbish bin by the sink in the kitchen. The containers are all sealed and stored in the cool room until a customer comes to collect them. We collect the dry coffee grind that overflows from our grinder, into another dry ten litre container which we offer to people to make coffee scrub or we make some ourselves and generally most of our staff use it and love it. The wet coffee grind is collected in a container, which is sadly lined with a plastic bag. We have a couple of customers who collect this to place around their plants to protect from snails and bugs and they also use it in their compost heap. We have let customers know about the food scraps on our Facebook page, a sign on the counter and just word of mouth.

How was this new invention of yours received by the customers?

The customers love it. Most comment on our sign, how good of an idea it is and they wished they had chickens. They are also happy that it is for a good purpose and we are trying to help the environment

How much organic waste does the kitchen and the cafe produce daily?

The amount of waste varies from day to day. Generally, towards the end of the week we have quite a lot due to the prep work for the weekend and then at the end of the weekend there is generally quite a lot due to the weekend being our busiest period. Over the week we would probably have donated up to 30 ten litre containers of organic waste. Over the period that we have started to collect the waste, we have saved on the collection of three large rubbish bins, headed for landfill. This has been a savings of over $10,000 per year!

Over the week we would probably have donated up to 30 ten litre containers of organic waste.

Who are the people who pick up the scraps and the grind? How many come regularly?

They are regular day to day people, some who work, some who are retired. We have one gentleman who regularly picks up anything we have, both food scraps and grind if it hasn’t already been taken. Two gentlemen, one who collects a container for his chickens once maybe twice a week and the other collects anything while he is passing by, in turn they both give our staff some beautiful home grown eggs for their effort. All our regulars return the containers washed for reuse for food scraps, thus the plastic containers are recycled also! We often have random people who read the sign on the cash register and then ask for food scraps to take with them. Every little bit helps.

Do you know what people use the scraps or grind for?

All our customers who collect our scraps use it for their chickens and others use both the scraps and the grind for compost for their fruit trees or vegetable gardens.

Two gentlemen, one who collects a container for his chickens once maybe twice a week and the other collects anything while he is passing by, in turn they both give our staff some beautiful home grown eggs for their effort.

What do you do to keep all uninvited guests (such as birds or insects) away from the scraps?

We store our scraps in sealed containers in the cool room. Our grind is stored outside in a container with a lid on. The dry grind is stored in ten litre containers with lids on, inside.

Does everything get taken?

Yes, everything gets taken. If it was not to be collected, it would have to go into landfill.

If I was a restaurant owner and decided to manage all food waste the same way as in the cafe, what steps would you recommend me to take?

To start with, you need to place a separate container next to your bin where you get rid of scraps. A container that is easily identified as being different to the norm. Provided containers that the kitchen staff can use to place in their larger bins so that they can place the food scraps from prep work in the container that is there to collect the food scraps. Put up some signage on your cash register where people go to or on your website/facebook page. Offer it for free, everybody likes something for free.

Have you made any other changes towards being a more sustainable business?

Since saving on bins that are collected and going to landfill. We now purchase takeaway containers that are recyclable. Due to the savings of the bins we are able to afford to buy the dearer, recyclable containers.

Offer it for free, everybody likes something for free.

What could local councils or customers do to encourage hospitality entrepreneurs to treat their organic waste as a resource?

Local councils could provide areas where food waste could be collected for people to use in their gardens. In saying this, the council would most likely charge for collection of this, so in the end it would not be a savings for our cafe. Customers could ask their local cafes/restaurants to collect their scraps so that they could come by and collect it from them. It really is important that you have locals who are reliable to collect the organic waste otherwise you might end up with more food waste in your cool room than unprepared food.

Thank you and we wish you many happy customers!

http://thebeachshack.com.au/

And now, please welcome to the wonderful world of organic recycling and closing the food loop.

Traditional compost

WHAT?

Compost is organic matter that enriches soil and is a great fertiliser for vegetable patches and gardens.

HOW?

A basic compost is simply a combination of food scraps, dry organic material, air, and time. For organic matter to turn into compost effectively, it needs a healthy balance* of:

1. GREEN MATERIALS that are rich in nitrogen. These include food scraps and freshly-picked garden weeds and plants. Avoid adding meat, dairy, and cooked foods to your compost. Depending on your soil, citrus and onions might be fine or inappropriate. In most cases, a moderate amount of citrus is a-okay.

2. BROWN MATERIALS that are rich in carbon. These include dry leaves (shredded ones are better), straw, eggshells, sawdust (only non-treated wood) and newspaper.

3. AIR! Oxygen is a key ingredient in any good compost, so a compost heap needs aeration regularly. This might mean turning your heap with a spade or garden fork, spinning your compost if it’s in a rotating container, or using a compost aerator (a hollow pole, with holes drilled into it, in the middle of your compost). Aeration is really important because without it the organic materials won’t decompose properly and will start to rot, producing methane.

4. TIME. Compost can take anywhere from 6 weeks–6 months depending on the temperature (the hotter, the faster), the composition of organic material, and the type of system you have.

*The typical suggestion is 2 parts GREEN: 1 part BROWN, but 1:1 can work too. It depends on your compost, so experiment with these ratios to see what works best for your own compost.

Compost can simply be a humble heap of green and brown layers, but you can also use an enclosed bin or a compost-specific container. There are many containers available online and in gardening and hardware stores. Check with your Council for special offers, discounts and composting programs.

WHY?

When food scraps go into landfill, they rot and start producing methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. As they decompose in landfill, they also combine with heavy metals, chemicals and non-decomposable suspended solids to produce leachate, a toxic sludge that pollutes proximate aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. By composting food scraps, these nasty environmental impacts are avoided, and the planet is happier.

Also, compost is a free fertiliser for your garden! Why not?

WHERE?

Compost heaps should be in a well-drained, shady spot. Not too much water, not too much sun! Put fine wire under the compost bin to keep out rodents.

WHEN?

You can compost year-round, but the composting process will happen fastest in the warmer months.

Vermicompost

WHAT?

Vermicompost is the product of using worms to process organic material. The process of vermicomposting produces vermicast, a nutrient-rich soil-like substance that can be harvested every 4-6 months and applied to garden beds, and worm wee, which is produced more rapidly and can be diluted and used as a liquid fertiliser. Vermicomposting worms aren’t your everyday earthworms–so you can’t pluck them out of the garden and try and start a worm farm. You need specific composting worms–usually ‘red wigglers’ are used.

HOW?

Worm farms are readily available from your local hardware or gardening store, or you can DIY. A typical household worm farm will have three levels–the middle level, where the worms start out as the worm farm is getting established; the bottom level, where the worm wee accumulates; and the top level, where the worms will migrate to once the farm is established. The top level is where you put the food scraps–about a handful every two days is a good amount for 1000 worms. Worms are picky eaters, so don’t put meat, dairy, garlic, onion, chilli or citrus in your worm farm. For all other scraps, cut or shred them so they’re easier for the worms to ingest.

WHY?

Worm farming is great alternative to organics recycling for those who don’t have enough room for a conventional compost heap, or who are looking for a stronger fertiliser.

WHERE?

Worm farms are suitable for both inside and outside as long as they're kept in a cool, shaded area. The worms love moisture (but not too much!) so ensure that the moisture is at about 75%, or the same as damp soil. This will probably mean giving the worm farm a water every week or so. At the same time, improperly drained worm farms will start to produce an odour, so make sure yours is properly equipped to drain through the bottom of the worm farm.

WHEN?

Year-round! However, worms like cool, damp conditions, so in summer take extra care that your vermicompost system is moist and shaded. We’ve heard many stories of cooked worms.

Are you interested in being a ShareWaste host or donor but don’t know much about composting, worm-farming or keeping chickens? We’ve put together an infosheet with some basic guidelines and tips. Individual cases may vary so if you are a donor, always check with your host what they can accept and how much.

And now, please welcome to the wonderful world of organic recycling and closing the food loop.

Written by Rebecca DeCourcy

Chickens are omnivorous, domesticated birds and are one of the most popular pets. Backyard chickens are kept for egg production, for their meat, and simply as easy, friendly and intelligent! pets.

HOW?

Keeping chickens is relatively straightforward. As social animals, they must be in a flock of two or more under RSPCA regulations. They need a dry and well-ventilated enclosure (coop) that is protected from the wind, rain, heat, cold and draughts. The coop needs nesting boxes where hens lay eggs, which are dark, small and quiet spaces; and a roost which the hens perch on to sleep at night. Ideally, chickens should be let out to roam during the day into a space that is fenced off to ensure they can’t get out and predators can’t get in. The bedding in the coop and nesting boxes should be refreshed every month or so, with a proper clean and scrub happening roughly every 6 months. Eggs should be collected daily from nesting boxes to avoid hens sitting on them and to avoid attracting predators.

Chickens need food and fresh, clean water daily. Chickens’ diets should include standard poultry pellets, along with a variety of fresh food and garden scraps. Chickens can eat most things, but scraps with a high salt and/or fat content should be avoided, as should rhubarb, avocado, chocolate, onion, garlic, citrus fruits and lawn mower clippings. A moderate amount of meat and cooked foods like rice, oats, pasta, bread and legumes is usually fine.

WHY?

Keeping chickens is a fantastic way to avoid sending organic waste to landfill, and to get rid of certain food scraps which can’t be composted like meat and cooked foods. As an added bonus, chickens provide lovely fresh eggs daily (or close to daily)! In general, eggs last for up to 3 weeks if they are stored correctly (refrigerated, with the pointy side down). Chickens also provide free fertiliser for your garden with their droppings. So again, great to close the food-loop.

WHERE / WHEN?

Chickens can be kept year-round in any place in Australia as they are fairly adaptable to different weather conditions. However, in hot weather they need to have access to cool, shady places and in cold weather they need protection from draughts. Chicken behaviour can change in different seasons: during cooler months, they will lay fewer eggs, and in autumn most chickens will moult their feathers.

Written by Rebecca DeCourcy

Community gardens can be a great place to grow, meet people and learn. Some community gardens can suffer from lack of common vision and leadership experience. They risk becoming a playground for a couple of enthusiasts who want to grow veggies or just experiment and gradually they lose their openness and community feel.

Camdenville Paddock Community Garden is the complete opposite. This garden has been successfully collaborating with a school and through their program “Food Scrap Friday” they’ve just saved their first tonne of kitchen scraps from landfill. We met the president of the garden Lachlan Jobbins to ask about what’s behind this success and how beneficial is a collaboration between a community garden and a school.

How and when was Camdenville Paddock Community Garden founded?

The paddock was founded in 2012. The site is part of Camdenville Public School, but for many years it had been neglected. In 2011 a group of neighbours and school parents approached the school and Marrickville Council about the possibility of remediating the space and turning it into a community garden.

After removing a jungle of weeds, the entire site was covered in a layer of geotech fabric and then volunteers constructed 40 raised garden beds using old railway sleepers. Tonnes of soil and mulch were trucked in and we started the slow process of planting and enriching our soil. Since then we’ve added rainwater tanks, chickens, an eco house with solar power and a composting toilet, dozens of compost bins, and lots of places for children to play.

Since then we’ve added rainwater tanks, chickens, an eco house with solar power and a composting toilet, dozens of compost bins, and lots of places for children to play.

We are very lucky to have the support of Camdenville Public School, Inner West Council, our members and many volunteers and donors who have given us their time, energy and materials over the years.

How do you maintain an open and friendly garden and ensure there are some rules for the members to follow as well?

We have a code of conduct and guidelines that new members agree to when they join - all designed to encourage people to be safe, proactive, community-minded and conscious of others. It’s also very important to us to welcome new members and make sure they are introduced to others.

We have a monthly Paddock Day where we work together on communal tasks, and we invite the public to visit and experience the garden. We usually have a barbecue and talk about what’s happening in the space. We also hold an annual Open Day where everyone is welcome to the party.

Our members are partly local residents, partly school families, and we also have one ‘business’ member - the Only About Children childcare centre. So there’s quite a variety, but as far as I’m concerned, the more people using the space, the better. I want people to think of the paddock as an extension of their backyard, a place where it’s fine to play, invite friends, have birthday parties and meals, and meet others.

I want people to think of the paddock as an extension of their backyard, a place where it’s fine to play, invite friends, have birthday parties and meals, and meet others.

Can you briefly describe how Food Scrap Friday works?

Food Scrap Friday is a way for families from Camdenville Public School to recycle their food waste. They simply bring their kitchen scraps to the school gate on Friday mornings, where volunteers collect them and take them to the paddock for composting. Each week as many as 40 families are contributing, and so far we have collected and composted almost 1.5 tonnes of kitchen waste. By keeping kitchen waste out of red bins, we’re reducing the amount in landfill, enriching our garden soil, and closing the loop of food production / consumption / disposal.

How has the project started?

Food Scrap Friday has been up and running since October 2016, but community composting is something that we’ve been wanting to do at the paddock for a couple of years now. We just didn’t know how to do it efficiently until the children provided the inspiration. An initiative called Waste Free Wednesday was the spark—a once a week day when kids are encouraged to pack a ‘waste free’ lunchbox.

How do you make sure the members bring in only compostable waste?

When we started, we put notices in the school newsletter and posters on the gate where we specified what we accepted. We’ve never had a problem with contamination.

Do you have an estimate how much compost you produce? How long did the community take to collect a tonne of waste?

That’s a good question. It’s hard to say exactly how much output we get. We’ve emptied several 400 litre Aerobins and a number of smaller compost bins, but we don’t weigh the compost on the way out—we just spread it on our garden beds!

It took us 22 weeks to collect our first tonne. We started small—only a few families bringing scraps at the beginning—but as more people got involved and we started handing out fancy upcycled buckets to committed contributors, our intake has increased, and we now have a pretty regular intake of just under 100kg per week.

How much effort does it take to organize the event every week and how many volunteers get involved?

Most of the organising involves making sure we have capacity to accept the food scraps—that is, room in our compost bins, and enough carbon-rich ‘brown’ material to balance the nitrogen rich ‘green’ food scraps. Other than that, it’s making sure we have some volunteers at the gate to accept the scraps and then take them to the paddock.

Usually at the school gate there are three or four adults, and a team of children—the Camdenville kids have really adopted Food Scrap Friday as their own. The children keep the tally of contributions, and the adults gather all the scraps into buckets and weigh them, wheel the buckets down to the garden in trolleys and layer up the compost bins with green/brown material. We also aerate existing bins with compost corkscrews, and make adjustments to ensure they are all composting well. The whole process on a Friday morning usually takes 1.5-2 hours.

We get extra buckets from Reverse Garbage or donated by organisations like Alfalfa House Food Co-op. For ‘brown’ material we receive donations of tree mulch and clean sawdust. We also use leaves from around the school grounds, and old straw from our chook shed.

What are the greatest benefits of the project?

The greatest benefit of the project is that by keeping kitchen waste out of red bins, we’re reducing the amount of food waste in landfill, enriching our garden soil, and closing the loop of food production / consumption / disposal.

The project has engaged children in learning about where food comes from and where waste goes.

The project has engaged children in learning about where food comes from and where waste goes. It provides a simple option for families who want to compost but can’t, and it creates another way for the school to introduce practical sustainability education into the classroom.

Inspired by Food Scrap Friday, the children at Camdenville Public have installed compost buckets in every classroom, so fruit and vegetable scraps from morning ‘crunch and sip’ are now being composted. So what started off as a simple idea has spawned many positives.

Food Scrap Friday could easily be replicated in schools and community gardens in the Inner West and beyond.

Food Scrap Friday could easily be replicated in schools and community gardens in the Inner West and beyond. It’s a simple, volunteer-based project that is creating new connections between our school and garden, and providing multiple benefits for both.

What feedback do you get from the parents and the children?

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. A lot of parents have told us that they wanted to compost, but were unable—mainly due to lack of space. My own experience also tells me that composting can be tricky—years ago I learned the hard way that you need a mix of green and brown material in order to do compost well. In fact, the more diversity of materials, the better. So it’s partly accessibility and convenience, and partly education. The kids love counting, weighing, examining the scraps, sniffing the waste!

The kids love counting, weighing, examining the scraps, sniffing the waste!

How does the school and the garden benefit from this collaboration?

There are LOTS of benefits, but I’ll just mention a few. Firstly, we no longer have to purchase compost for the garden beds at the school or in the community garden—we’re taking something that would otherwise have been buried in the ground and turning it into a resource that is enriching our soil and helping us grow even more (not to mention preventing the production of methane from anaerobic decomposition in landfill).

Secondly, we’ve found a way to process a lot of the ‘brown’ material that we produce, such as autumn leaves, grass clippings, and straw from the chook shed. We now process it through compost, so it’s no longer a waste product.

Thirdly, the children have used Food Scrap Friday and the Paddock in their Project Based Learning. They have done work on soil health, planting, composting and water saving. There are possibilities for work in maths, science, biology and probably many other curriculum areas.

Fourthly, the children are learning where food comes from—that it grows in the ground, rather than arriving pre-packaged in the supermarket—and that we need to maintain our environment, water and soils in order to get the best out of them.

It’s been an amazing community-building activity.

And finally, it’s been an amazing community-building activity. It has been inspiring to see people having conversations about composting at the school gate in the morning, and Food Scrap Friday has brought a wonderful new wave of enthusiastic new members to Camdenville Paddock who are now learning (and teaching each other) about the pleasures of gardening.

Does the garden host any other events?

Every month we have a Paddock Day, where members and the public are welcome to visit the garden. We use these days to do communal work like planting and weeding common areas, spreading mulch and planning future activities, and there’s usually a barbecue. Check our website (www.camdenvillepaddock.com) for the next date.

What's behind the successful collaboration between the garden and the school?

I think the success of the partnership at Camdenville probably comes down to the garden community being a mix of parents and local residents. There are many links between the P&C, school management and garden committee. Much of our success is certainly due to the involvement of parents as volunteers, and certainly there are many benefits when school communities are able to engage.

How did you deal with the question of “strangers” entering school premises. Has anyone raised a question of children's safety?

Camdenville Paddock is behind locked gates, and members are only permitted to be there until 10.30 in the morning and after 3pm in the afternoon (and anytime on weekends and holidays). Non-members are only permitted on Paddock Days or as the guest of a member (and again, only ever during the hours above), so we’ve never had a problem with “strangers” on the premises.

What’s your future plans for the garden?

Our next project is the development of two ‘biodiversity areas’ in the paddock—two habitat zones which we’ll be replanting with local Cooks River Valley native plants. We’re working with Helen Knowles from the Marrickville Community Nursery on a planting that will encourage beneficial insects, critters, frogs and birds to the garden, and discourage pest insects. With much of the paddock dedicated to food crops, we hope that these areas will bring a little more ‘nature’ back!

Thank you for sharing your experience on our blog and signing up the garden with ShareWaste.

Friday, 7:30AM. Everything is ready. We're expecting the first parents with kids.

And here they are! Forty families bring their scraps every week.

Parents empty their bucket and can start another week fresh.
The volunteers give helpful advice on what can be composted.

Food Scrap Friday also helps recycle used toothbrushes and empty toothpastes. The collected items are handed over to Terracycle for further processing.

Final weighing. This week Food Scrap Friday collected 109.5 kg of scrap from 35 families.

Green leaves are collected separately and enrich the diet of local chooks. Old straws are used as a brown layer for the composting bins.

Collected scraps are evenly distributed among all the compost bins in the garden. Pictured: The Death Star composting unit.

Produced compost is used to feed the plants in the community garden and school gardens.

This is a must-see for everyone who’s lived near the sea. And everyone else!

By watching this documentary you might be risking:

• Catching a cold
• Booking a flight to Norway
• Joining a local conservation volunteer group
• Wanting to learn how to surf, like, RIGHT NOW

If you’re not sure about this movie yet, the following lines will definitely convince you.

Two friends from a film school (Jorn, 25 and Inge, 28) decide to take some basic video-making gear and make an adventure film about surfing near the shores of an Arctic island off the northern coast of Norway. If the combination of Norway, the Arctic and water makes you feel like taking a hot shower, for these guys it means an ultimate adventure in order to experience extreme surfing on waves they don’t have to share with anyone. Living off expired food (which you get in Norway for free) and warmth from a makeshift oven, they surf in the icy cold ocean, snowboard, stargaze and learn how to survive with what they find on the beach.

The movie gets an environmental twist when Jorn and Inge have to face the impact of humans on this isolated place. Every day the ocean washes out a new batch of rubbish on the beach. They intuitively start collecting it and in total, clear 3 tonnes of garbage off the beach. In only 46 minutes the movie pinpoints a highly upsetting contrast between the pristine isolated island and the junk piling up on its shores with every high tide.

The message could have been: “Don’t litter”, but it’s actually: “If you see rubbish where it doesn’t belong, just pick it up”. And it doesn’t need to be on a special clean-up day because every day is the right one to get some rubbish off the bush/forest/beach/park…

Watch the trailer here: