On average, 40 per cent of rubbish sent to landfill is food waste. You can make a difference by composting your food scraps or by using a worm farm.
Composting and worm farming have many benefits for the environment such as:
- Improving soil structure
- Increasing the ability of soil to retain moisture
- Turning food scraps into a natural fertiliser that will enrich the soil
- Reducing weed emergence and erosion
- Keeping food waste out of landfill
Landfills in Melbourne are rapidly filling up and the cost of waste disposal is increasing. Composting and worm farming helps reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and reduces carbon emissions.
What sort of composting system do I need?
There a number of different ways you can compost at home, it doesn’t matter if you live in a house or an apartment there are lots of options for keeping your food waste out of landfill. The below table provides information for three systems, but there are lots of different ways to compost out there.
| Compost bin | Worm Farm | Bokashi Bucket | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space needed | Garden | Balcony, small garden, garage or laundry | Can be kept inside, kitchen, garage or laundry. Garden or compost bin required to bury bucket contents when the bucket is full |
| Materials | Food scraps and Garden waste | Fruit and vegetable scraps | All food scraps |
| Finished products from system | Woody and finished compost | Liquid fertiliser Casting | Liquid fertiliser Compost |
What else can I do to reduce food waste going to landfill?
It is better to reduce the food waste your household produces in the first instance. Proper menu planning, safe food storage practices and using up leftovers can ensure that you waste less food. For tips on reducing food waste visit the Small Acts Big Impact website.
Compost and worm farming workshops
Council regularly run composting and worm farming workshops which will teach residents everything they need to know about composting and worm farming and the benefits of reducing food waste. Alternatively, residents who already have a system set up can find out how to make it work even better!
To find out about upcoming workshops visit the what's on page or email wasteevents@cgd.vic.gov.au to be notified of the next workshop.