Black Gold
Around half of the waste we produce at home is organic, generated in the kitchen and garden.
Garden and food waste are the largest element of Southland’s waste stream making up 42 percent or 12,000 tonnes per year. In the landfill organic waste breaks down and can form methane (a greenhouse gas) and leachate (pollutant).
Around half of the waste we produce at home is organic, generated in the kitchen and garden. If half the population of Southland reduced their kitchen and organic waste by 26 grams per day (the weight of a slice of bread), within one year it would halve the amount of organic waste disposed to landfill.
By composting, worm farming or using bokashi systems we can turn our garden and food waste into a valuable product for use in our vegetable and flower gardens.
Compost
Composting is nature’s way of turning garden and food waste into a valuable product for reuse in your garden – and it reduces the amount of waste going to landfill.
Composting is an aerobic process where organic material is broken down by bacteria, fungi and other insects and micro-organisms. It generally takes between 10 and 20 weeks to mature and be ready for use in your garden. The time varies depending on how much turning you do.
Worm Farm
Worm Farming or ‘vermiculture’ is the process of using Tiger worms to digest your food waste. The worms eat the food and excrete dirt (vermin-cast) and liquid (vermin-liquid) which provide beneficial nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) for the soil, encouraging plant growth.
Bokashi
The word ‘bokashi’ is a Japanese word that means ‘fermented organic matter’. The Bokashi system uses effective micro-organisms (EM) to ferment food waste anaerobically in a sealed container, followed by burying the material directly into the soil. The system is typically made up of a drainage bucket with a fermentation bucket nested inside.
Related Articles
Related Websites