The Healthy & Sustainable Gardens Program (HSGP) seeks to promote the use of recycled organics products to the gardening public and raise awareness of the benefits of using these products.
The mulch and compost promoted as part of the program comes from your garden. When you put your garden organics out for council collection it goes to a processing facility where the material is chipped, composted and made into a range of certified compost products.
Consumers can now have confidence in the quality of composted mulches and composted soils that are produced by accredited recycled organics processors. These products should comply with the Australian Standard 4454 (updated 2012).
Used correctly, good quality recycled composts can deliver significant soil and plant health benefits. However, not all composts will deliver all of these benefits.
Poorly made products or even the incorrect use of quality products can do harm to your soil and/or plants. Certified compost products must meet quality standards and the needs of a specific application. When choosing recycled organic products, look for the Australian Standards mark. This ensures that standards in processing and composting have been followed.
There are a number of garden supply outlets across Melbourne that stock certified recycled mulch and compost.
Download the Healthy Sustainable Gardening Tips sheet here.
For further information download the following factsheets:
Recycled mulch and compost are quality gardening products that have been professionally produced from kerbside collected green organics (green waste).
Compost and mulch can cut your garden water use by up to 30%, and is a natural and environmentally friendly way to improve your soil and make your plants grow stronger and healthier.
Benefits include:
Using compost and/or mulch made from recycled green waste means you are also closing the loop on green organics recycling and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon content is returned to the soil instead of going to landfill and escaping into the atmosphere as methane gas.
Composting garden and food organics from your household can reduce the waste you send to landfill by 30-50%. For the average household, keeping garden and food organics out of landfill will reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to about 6600 black balloons or driving a medium-sized car over 1200 kilometres each year.
The easiest way to deal with food waste is to set up a compost heap at home. Compost systems work by allowing organic materials to decompose and eventually combine with clay materials to produce humus. Humus is the organic (and essential) component of soil that maintains its fertility and makes it resistant to erosion. Soil preservation is a critical issue in Australia, so adequate levels of revitalised organic matter are essential.
Most food scraps (but not meat or dairy) can be combined with garden waste to be composted. Small amounts of paper, straw and other organic matter can also be integrated into a system. As well as being the best way to deal with green waste, compost can also reduce a household's water consumption and the need for fertilisers when it is spread on the garden. Find out more.
Many Melbourne councils provide support to their communities to encourage the uptake of composting and worm farming within their homes, schools and businesses. To view a break down of these programs please download our Council Composting Info Sheet here (888Kb).
Council Resources
Below is a case study on a composting program delivered within local communities. These case studies are designed to provide easy replication within other local areas.
Quick Composting Links
Check out some of these worm farming and composting quick reference guides available for download.
Worm farms are the best option for residents in apartments or with limited garden space. They can also be set up to deal with lunch scraps in any office. As well as being easy to set up and manage, worm farms provide the garden with natural nutrients.
Worm farms use special earthworms called compost worms that thrive in the warm, rich, moist environment of the worm farm. The most common compost worms are Tiger Worms, Red Wrigglers and Indian Blues and they can eat about half of their body weight in one day. The population in a well maintained worm farm doubles every two to three months.
Feeding fruit and vegetable scraps to earthworms is a cheap and simple way of recycling food and garden waste. The worm castings make a great fertiliser for gardens.
Here are a few tips to help you get started:
To buy worms or worm farms, consult the Yellow Pages under 'Worm Farms' or your local council. Waste services in your area). Find out more.
Many metropolitan Melbourne councils provide organics recycling services through either bin or bundle collection at kerbside or drop-off at transfer stations. To find out about the availability of organic recycling services in your area visit your local council website.
Several of councils are also buying back a range of certified recycled organics products that have been made from your recycled green waste. Products such as soil blends, compost, mulch and filter media are being used in applications on sporting fields, parks and gardens and in stormwater treatment.
A number of composters and waste collection companies have also started to provide collection services for food as well as garden organics from businesses.
A great advantage for householders is that any $100 or more spent on any combination of water saving products such as mulch or other government approved products receives a $30 rebate off the household’s next water bill. Fill out a rebate claim form, attach receipts and return it to your water authority.
See all details here or phone 136 186.
Last Updated: Tuesday, 22 May 2012
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