Shoalhaven Home Composting Program
Information SheetShoalhaven has only one landfill and it is filling up fast! In fact, if we don't change our waste disposal habits, our landfill will be full in less than 15 years! What will we do with our waste then? Where will it go?Shoalhaven Council believes efficient home composting is just one way we can tackle this problem head on!Council would like to invite the community of the Shoalhaven to take part in a comprehensive new approach to household waste management simply by composting.Research tells us that approximately half of what we put in our red-lid garbage bin could in fact be composted – this includes all our fruit and vege scraps as well as grass clippings and other types of garden waste. Also, most “spoilt” or food-contaminated cardboard and paper is easily composted too. So if we removed all that from our garbage bin, and composted it at home, we could be halving what we send to landfill! What a great result that would be.In 2007, Council ran a trial of home composting with 200 households across the Shoalhaven. The results, which included an average reduction in bin weight from 12kg to 8kg, were very positive and have given Council the incentive to expand and implement this program Citywide.Stage 1 will be carried out in 2009 and is aimed at involving 5000 households in home composting. Resources will be given to those households to get them started and maintain their composting efforts. It is important that the households that sign up to participate in the composting program are committed to reducing their household’s waste to landfill.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
So, how does the program work?
What if I don’t have a computer and/or the internet?
What’s in it for me?
Who can join?
Will it cost me anything?
Where will the training be held?
What’s so good about composting anyway?
So..are you in?Council is currently accepting registrations from interested residents.To register your interest, please click here
Email enquiries to: [email protected]
- You will need to register which can only be done on-line.
- When you register, you will need to nominate a preferred time for attending a one & half (1 1/2) hour training session (please note this preferred time is an approximation that will help Council plan where and when to hold the various training sessions) It is anticipated training sessions will commence in February 2009 and run through until June 2009.
- Once Council has received your registration, you will be contacted by the trainers to book your training session. Please be patient though as we have to train 5,000 people and that will take several months.
- You will then attend a training session and collect your resources
- Then you go home and start composting!
- You may also be asked to participate in a survey over the next 12 months, about your home composting experience
No problem. Just drop into either the Council offices in Nowra or Ulladulla, or your local library, where you can be assisted to fill out the on-line registration form. It only takes a few minutes!As part of the Home Composting Program, Council will provide your household with:- one kitchen bench-top tidy bin for easy collection of kitchen scraps
- one compost bin to dispose of your household kitchen scraps and garden waste.
- compost training (1 1/2hr session) for up to 2 members of your household on learning how to compost
Kitchen tidy and compost bins will be distributed at the end of each of the training sessions. NB: only one set of resources can be allocated per householdBy joining the home composting program, you are committing to undertake a sustainable activity that is both fun, educational and will have a positive impact on your local environment ie: you will be reducing the amount of waste being buried at the landfill in the Shoalhaven.Anyone who lives or owns a residence (ie: habitable dwelling) in the Shoalhaven local government area. Children, or those under the age of 18, are encouraged to attend with an adult from their household.NoThe training will be held at various venues across the City. The bulk of the training will be carried out in the larger towns of Nowra/Bomaderry, Ulladulla and the Bay & Basin area but there will be training held in many of the smaller towns and villages also.
All attempts will be made to hold a training session either in or close to a town near where you live. - Composting your household kitchen scraps and garden waste saves landfill space. It can also reduce your garbage bin size and therefore save you money!!
- Compost applied to soil in your backyard or garden, improves the soil structure and increases its fertility and water holding capacity.
- Composting is an activity that anyone can join in
To register your interest, please click here
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