We have been quite lucky so far visiting friends in Newcastle who compost and passing through 4 councils who have FOGO (food organics and garden organics) waste programs. What does this mean? Basically, green waste bins accept green organics (food waste). I am being spoilt as 42% of councils in NSW offer kerbside organics collection. We are crossing the border into QLD soon so it will likely get harder for me to dispose of my bokashi goop.
Our waste statistics to date:
Compost = 12 litres
General Waste = 20 litres
Soft plastics = 8 litres
We have reduced our general waste by about 40%!
And it has not been difficult at all.
Councils accepting Green organics
Thus far we have come across 4 councils who accept green organics:
1. Port Macquarie - Hastings Council
2. Coffs Harbour Council
3. Clarence Valley Council
4. Lismore City Council
I will create a list in this blog as we travel for anyone who may want to start composting on the road. When I am heading into a new LGA I simply look up the local council online and go to their services page to determine what waste services they offer. They will specify if they allow kitchen waste/green organics in their green waste bins. If they do not, then I will need to start talking to locals to find a gardener or another option.
Nimbin (Lismore City Council)
Given that Nimbin is one of Australia’s top hippy destinations and alternative lifestyle capital I was surprised that I could not find a green bin anywhere. Then I started a conversation with someone from 'Nimbin’s Sustainable Living Hub'. She indicated that no one has a green bin in town as they all compost their waste. There is little point arranging council pick-up for it to travel to Lismore for processing, then make its way back to Nimbin – makes complete sense to compost locally. I was able to contribute my large bag of compost to their community garden compost bin. I was ever so pleased to remove the smelly bag from the back of the ute.
If you would like to start composting but you are not sure how to start, see the links and instructions below on how to make a compost bin. Bokashi bins are great for small spaces, like a caravan. I find that I do not keep my scraps for long enough for the fermentation process to complete, so I am not going to bother with the compost accelerator spray anymore.
Caravan Parks and Green Organics
One downside is that the caravan parks do not always have a green waste bin, and if they do it is simply for leaves and branches cleaned up from the park, which is a shame. There is no reason why campers and people in cabins cannot separate their waste if given the opportunity. Perhaps once segregating and composting household waste becomes the norm Australia wide, much like recycling has, caravan parks and other types of holiday accommodation may be encouraged to provide this. I have had to resort to looking for green bins within the township. I was lucky enough to be in Yamba on bin day, so I quietly plonked my green bag into a bin placed on the curb for me. I am avoiding having to suspiciously enter somebody’s property to dump food waste into their bin.
My Bokashi bin can fill up quite fast so I have decided I am going to start being a little more frugal with my fresh fruit and vegetables by trying to use up as much as I can. I fried up my English spinach stems in butter and garlic and it was delicious!
How to start composting on the road
Here are some great links that show you how to make a Bokashi bin:
Or simply buy a bucket with a well-sealed lid!
You can buy a Bokashi Bin from here:
1/3 of all food produced for human consumption end up being uneaten and discarded. So let's compost!!
Way to go Corrine.
Awesome post Corrine!!!