International Compost Awareness Week

International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is an annual initiative of the Centre for Organic Research & Education, promoting a week of activities, events and education to improve awareness of the importance of compost.

Click here for more information.

A big thank you to our community for getting heavily involved in this initiative. We all came together through our Compost Workshop, Giveaway and Colouring competition to understand just how important organic waste resources are and how we can go about diverting them from landfill!

We had some wonderful, creative entries in our colouring competition - which are all currently on display at our Administration Building.

Special mentions also to Ernie and the team from Singleton Community Gardens for hosting an informative and fun workshop!
The group invites and encourages households to save organic waste from household general bins and bring them down to the compost and worm farms at the gardens. If you miss the opportunity and would like to know more about compost or get involved at the community garden, reach out to the group directly through their Facebook page or simply head on down one Sunday. 

Congratulations to our winners! 

• Isaac Fenwick
• Olivia Corrigan
• Ezekiel Drain
• Marta Pasans Prats
• Kyle Hopping

All winners have now been contacted to claim their prize packs. 

Organic waste is a valuable resource when it is managed properly

Composting is the most effective and efficient way to process food and garden waste materials. When these types of organic waste end up in landfill, they decay and create methane - a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide when released into the atmosphere.

Local household waste audit data (2017) shows that almost 50% of households in Singleton use more than 90% of their bins capacity, with 30% (3kgs) of this being food waste. 

Composting serves to: 

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Improve soil quality, erosion and runoff
• Save space in household bins 
• Save landfill space

Although food waste is not currently compatible for kerbside servicing, home compost and worm farm systems are an easy and effective way to remove food and organic waste from your general waste bin and divert it from our landfill.

Check out Gardening Australia's Compost 101 with Costa Georgiadis, where he explains all things compost including: 

• Microorganisms and how composts works
• The types of organic materials needed
• How to set up a simple compost system at home 
• How to create 'Weed Tea' and why

Your GO bin has a lime green lid and is collected fortnightly (opposite to Recycling). All households with an active waste service are entitled to this service provision. 

What can go in your GO bin?

• Grass clippings 
• Prunings 
• Weeds 
• Leaves
• Flowers 
• Plants
• Bark 
• Sticks and Small Branches (max. diameter 10cm) 
• Roots (max. diameter 10cm)
• Palm Fronds

Head to Your Organics Bin for more information.

What happens to the materials after collection? 

The materials collected through this service (as well as organic material collected at Singleton Waste Management Facility) are processed at Australian Native Landscapes in Tea Gardens, where it then becomes a range of quality composts and soil conditioners.

Council often holds compost giveaways using these very products – completing the cycle!