Don’t let it go to waste

THERE’S a lot to feel good about when it comes to the environment in Greater Geelong right now.

Our garden organics program is one of our quiet success stories and a fabulous example of our circular economy in action.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the material you put in your green garden bin every fortnight?

Well, by using your garden bin correctly, you are helping us to keep about 35,000 tonnes of garden waste out of landfill each year.

The City of Greater Geelong transports the material we collect from your garden bin to our organics facility in Anakie, where we transform it into beautiful, nutrient-rich compost.

We’re proud to be one of the few councils in Australia that process our garden waste locally.

Because it’s all done right here, we can cut down on transport emissions and maintain tight control over the process to ensure the end product is high quality and as free of contamination as possible.

Sending rubbish to landfill is expensive and not environmentally friendly. If we can reduce the amount of organic matter being sent, we can significantly reduce our methane emissions.

The Victorian government has set a goal to halve the amount of food and organic waste going to landfill by 2030, and in Geelong we’re doing our bit to reach that target.

Thanks to a $43,520 grant from Sustainability Victoria, we’ve developed a new blend of compost that we’re using to grow vegetables at Geelong Botanic Gardens.

In partnership with Deakin University, we’re testing which blend of compost delivers the best growing conditions for a range of plants, including zucchini, beans, pumpkin, beetroot, chilli and fresh herbs.

We then provide some of this produce to Geelong Foodshare – so the garden waste from our backyards is helping grow food for people who need it most.

This is something we can all be proud of and demonstrates our firm commitment to building a strong circular economy where nothing goes to waste.

You can even buy the compost to use at home at local garden centres like Elcho Garden Supplies, Wallington WRG and South Point Garden Supplies.

The next step is food waste, and right now, we’re upgrading the Anakie facility so that we can accept food scraps soon, too.

That will mean even less of our region’s waste will go to landfill when our upgrades are complete, and residents can put their food scraps in their garden bin from 2027-28.

A big part of this success is thanks to you – our Greater Geelong community! When you put waste in the correct bin, it makes a huge difference.

Remember – if it didn’t grow, it doesn’t go in your garden bin.

Keeping plastics, glass and rubbish out of our garden bins helps us make better compost, keeps costs down and protects our environment.

Also, please don’t bag your garden waste in the garden bin – keep it loose. Bagged material cannot be sorted and is sent to landfill.

Our revamped bin inspection program is also helping. By giving simple feedback to households, we’ve already seen contamination in yellow recycling bins drop by about 200 tonnes a year.

It’s proof that small changes at home really do add up to big wins across the region.

If you’d like to stay in the loop on recycling and sustainability, I recommend signing up for our monthly Rethink Your Rubbish newsletter at www.geelongaustralia.com.au/rethink

Cr Elise Wilkinson

Connewarre Ward,

City of Greater Geelong