Composting
Organic, compostable, material makes up around 50% of what ends up at the landfill. A fair question is; what’s the difference between organic waste breaking down in the landfill instead of at home? Well, when organic waste breaks down in a landfill it decomposes anaerobically (without air) which produces methane gas. When composted at home, or commercially, the process is aerobic (with air) and methane production is avoided. Methane is extremely potent as a greenhouse gas, 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. So diverting organic waste from landfill is a really good idea!
Many councils receive organic waste at their transfer stations at a reduced - if not free - rate, and some now even have curbside collection. Check out whether your’s does through this website.
Or, even better, by dealing with the organic waste at home you get to retain all those nutrients, for your own, or other’s gardens! There are plenty of options, which when done well should result in no offensive smells or swarms of flys!
· Composting. Rosalie suggests using four old shipping pallets tied together in a square to make a compost bin with plenty of airflow which is a great idea. Even paper and cardboard composts well. Feed stuff to the dog /cat, especially meat and dairy that attracts mice to the compost. Also feeding weeds, grass clippings and food waste to chickens, bunnies or whatever vege eating animal you might have handy means the seeds from the weeds don't get back into your garden. If the compost gets hot enough these seeds will be killed anyway so don't worry too much about them!
· Burying: We dug a pit and placed a large plastic drum over it with the bottom cut out. We use it to dispose of fingernail clippings, dog poo, hair and some natural, small, rubber items. We also have sawdust to sprinkle in which neutralises smell. We expect to fill the hole over years. You do have to be careful with this though that the hole doesn’t go below the watertable, which could result in polluting ground water.
· Worm Farm: These are becoming increasingly popular in schools, workplaces as well as back yards. The liquid produced makes a great fertilizer - just remember to water it down before you use it! The castings produced are awesome for the garden as well. Check out this website for more information.
· Bokashi: If you have no backyard but would like to compost, bokashi could well be perfect for you. It’s compact, not very smelly and the by product is fertilizer for plants, and easy to give away to friends. We now travel with our bokashi bin! We take it out on our boat when away overnight and it is great when house sitting a place without a compost system in place. We've got them for sale in the store.
Tags: bokashi compost organic organic waste recycling rubbish free
