Earth-cycling is nature's way of recycling. It’s easy to avoid sending food scraps and garden prunings into your general waste bin by composting at home. Your choices include traditional composting, worm farming or bokashi.
Earth-cycling is fantastic for your garden and helps the environment. Adding compost and worm farm liquids to your garden soil:
- Loosens clay soils
- Helps sandy soils retain water
- Improves soil nutrients
- Suppresses plant diseases and pests
- Reduces your costs in fertiliser and pesticides
FAQS
How often are composting and worm farming workshops hosted by the City?
Workshops are scheduled in May and November each year. Dates, times and venues will appear on the City's website
At these practical workshops, you will:
- Learn how to use a variety of composting systems, such as Gedyes, Bokashi, compost bays and EnsoPet
- Learn how to feed and maintain a worm farm
- Identify which of the various systems is the best fit for your household’s individual circumstances
- Understand the waste inputs for each system
- Understand how compost and worm farm byproducts benefit soil structure and plant health.
I don’t want to wait until the workshop is held. What other options are available to me?
As an Armadale resident, you are eligible to participate in the rewards for residents program, which includes a variety of discounted sustainable home and lifestyle goods and services. Each provider offers goods and services (including worm farms and composting systems) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut water use and limit waste.
How do I know if I am eligible to participate in the composting and worm farm workshop and rebate program?
To be eligible for this one off, one rebate per household offer, you must
- Provide suitable ID to demonstrate that you live in the City of Armadale, upon arrival at the workshop
- Register to attend the event online, and pay the $25 cost, plus a small booking fee
- Attend the workshop on the scheduled day
- Select your compost or worm farm at the conclusion of the website
I already have a home composting and or worm farm system, but would like to refresh my skills. Can I still attend?
- Yes, you can attend, simply send us an email and we’ll register you at no cost.
I have to cancel my registration, and I have already paid the $25 attendance fee. Can I obtain a refund?
- Refunds are not provided, but your details will be transferred to the next available workshop date, and you will be notified of the details in writing.
Composting assists in the reduction of food wastes ending up in our landfills. It turns natural scraps into nutrient-rich compost that will help garden and improve soil quality. Reducing the amount of compostable waste in landfill will lower the negative environmental impacts imposed by compostable wastes being disposed of in such a way.
You can easily set up your own garden composting system and make your plants healthier at no extra cost. Most composting units are designed to speed up the decomposition of organic matter through aeration and moisture retention. With the proper combination of air, nutrients and moisture, waste is transformed into compost.
There are multiple types of composting units, all with varying results.
- Compost bins
- Compost tumblers
- Composting bays
- Vermicomposters
- Bokashi
See the table below for a comparison of various systems, to find one that suits your household.
Worm farming is one of the common practices available to residents to reduce food waste at home so it does not end up in the waste stream.
Worm farms create both liquid and solid products that improve your soil quality.
Using a Bokashi system for left-overs and food scraps turns waste into rich soil nutrition, and requires very little effort.
| Compost units | Worm farms | Bokashi bins | EnsoPet Pet Waste Composter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwelling suitability | All households with gardens and schools | All households, offices, apartments and schools | All households, offices, apartments and schools | All households with gardens and schools |
| Unit location | Preferably outdoors, away from house in a sunny area | Preferably outdoors (can go indoors) in the shade | Anywhere | Outside |
| Efficency | Variable depending on unit, nutrient balance and aeration | Variable depending on unit, nutrient balance and worms | Efficient for food waste. Needs to be buried to complete breakdown | In ground composter. Breaks down pet waste efficiently |
| Odour Levels | Nil if maintained correctly | Nil if maintained correctly | Nil if maintained correctly | Nil if maintained correctly |
|
Cost (rough guide only) |
Unit: $20-$500 Maintenance: No cost once set up
|
Unit: $20-$250 Maintenance: $5-$10 (dolomite lime)
|
Unit: $60-$250 Maintenance: $10-$20 (Bokashi mix/ spray)
|
Unit: $70-$80 Maintenance: $10-$25 (EnsoPet starter)
|
| Type of fertiliser created | Solid | Solid and liquid | Liquid | Solid |
| Compost units | Worm farms | Bokashi bins | EnsoPet Pet Waste Composter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetables | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Citrus/ onions | Yes | Small amounts | Yes | No |
| Meat and bones | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Dairy | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Coffee and tea | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Egg shells | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Garden waste | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Pet waste | Yes for herbivorous pets (rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.) | Yes but must be in a separate unit for meat eating pets | No | Yes |
| Paper and cardboard | Yes | Yes - Shredded | Yes - Small amounts | No |
If you do not have the ability to earth-cycle, find someone who is happy to compost your waste or feed your waste to their animals by visiting Share Waste.
For more information on earth-cycling call the City of Armadale Waste Services on 9394 5124 or email our team.
If you do not have the space for a compost unit or worm farm but would like to reduce the amount of food waste ending up in landfill, visit Share Waste to find a neighbour who is willing to accept for waste and compost it or feed it to their worms or animals.
