Graceville Community Garden looking for ideas

Hello

I'd like to share some thoughts/experiences on the Community Composting Hub at Graceville Community Garden.

We've been operating around three years, but have come to a point where we are facing the following issues

1) the volume of food waste

2) lack of people power to process this waste

3) storage of maturing compost

4) redistribution of mature compost

We've just commenced a monthly vist arranged through the BCC from Mark - goinggreenaustralia. He is emptying the collection bins into our composting bays.

Liz, one of our gardeners, had a positive response to her post on GCG facebook requesting community support with composting.

Today we had a meeting and have decided on the following actions

1) arranging a meeting this week with the responders on facebook to work out a schedule to empty the bins and turn the compost in the bays

2) we will continue with the hub until such times as we run out of storage room and then review for further action.

During a seventeen day period from 10/11/21 - 27/11/21, I calculate that we processed nine small bins and one large bin. On two separate occasions we also had boxes of fruit and vegies left. These were not household waste.

Conversing with some of the people dropping off their waste, virtually very few of them are registered with the BCC so the volume of waste is much higher than the BCC would assume; based on their incorrect data.

Without additional resources we will be reach a point where we will have to discontinue our Hub. This will put additional strain on other local composting hubs and redirect the food waste back to landfill.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and we look forward to your responses.

Marjorie

Graceville Community garden

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CindyP almost 3 years ago
Marjorie,  I can relate to this post even though we have a much smaller operation at Camp Hill.  I'll offer a couple of thoughts.  If you have just commenced the monthly visit from Mark and goinggreenaustralia you will find that they make quick work of the move from the bins to the bays.  I would recommend though that you have an empty or new bay ready for them.   Possibly you have more food waste than you can handle in a single bay.  Beelarong Community Farm collect their food waste in wheelie bins (the size of the brown bin) and empty them in the bays in their weekly work morning.  They also have a tractor to move the piles from one bay to the next!

On the topic of maturing compost.  At Camp Hill I have started moving the oldest compost into a couple of old large compost bins that sit on the ground (the square kind with the sliding doors at the bottom that no one wanted).  That buys me more time to let it settle down before using it.  We have sifted and bagged up (in used garden products bags) the mature compost and sold it for $3 a bag as a garden fund raiser.  I can't imagine not being able to distribute the compost.

On the topic of volunteers. I have not been able to crack that one yet.  I am hoping that some signage at the compost hub (think chalkboard) might help me draw a few people in.  We just got a signboard painted so that is yet to be determined.  Good luck and I'd like to stop in one day and visit your garden.

Cindy
Camp Hill Composting hub
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Share Marjorie,  I can relate to this post even though we have a much smaller operation at Camp Hill.  I'll offer a couple of thoughts.  If you have just commenced the monthly visit from Mark and goinggreenaustralia you will find that they make quick work of the move from the bins to the bays.  I would recommend though that you have an empty or new bay ready for them.   Possibly you have more food waste than you can handle in a single bay.  Beelarong Community Farm collect their food waste in wheelie bins (the size of the brown bin) and empty them in the bays in their weekly work morning.  They also have a tractor to move the piles from one bay to the next! On the topic of maturing compost.  At Camp Hill I have started moving the oldest compost into a couple of old large compost bins that sit on the ground (the square kind with the sliding doors at the bottom that no one wanted).  That buys me more time to let it settle down before using it.  We have sifted and bagged up (in used garden products bags) the mature compost and sold it for $3 a bag as a garden fund raiser.  I can't imagine not being able to distribute the compost. On the topic of volunteers. I have not been able to crack that one yet.  I am hoping that some signage at the compost hub (think chalkboard) might help me draw a few people in.  We just got a signboard painted so that is yet to be determined.  Good luck and I'd like to stop in one day and visit your garden.CindyCamp Hill Composting hub on Facebook Share Marjorie,  I can relate to this post even though we have a much smaller operation at Camp Hill.  I'll offer a couple of thoughts.  If you have just commenced the monthly visit from Mark and goinggreenaustralia you will find that they make quick work of the move from the bins to the bays.  I would recommend though that you have an empty or new bay ready for them.   Possibly you have more food waste than you can handle in a single bay.  Beelarong Community Farm collect their food waste in wheelie bins (the size of the brown bin) and empty them in the bays in their weekly work morning.  They also have a tractor to move the piles from one bay to the next! On the topic of maturing compost.  At Camp Hill I have started moving the oldest compost into a couple of old large compost bins that sit on the ground (the square kind with the sliding doors at the bottom that no one wanted).  That buys me more time to let it settle down before using it.  We have sifted and bagged up (in used garden products bags) the mature compost and sold it for $3 a bag as a garden fund raiser.  I can't imagine not being able to distribute the compost. On the topic of volunteers. I have not been able to crack that one yet.  I am hoping that some signage at the compost hub (think chalkboard) might help me draw a few people in.  We just got a signboard painted so that is yet to be determined.  Good luck and I'd like to stop in one day and visit your garden.CindyCamp Hill Composting hub on Twitter Share Marjorie,  I can relate to this post even though we have a much smaller operation at Camp Hill.  I'll offer a couple of thoughts.  If you have just commenced the monthly visit from Mark and goinggreenaustralia you will find that they make quick work of the move from the bins to the bays.  I would recommend though that you have an empty or new bay ready for them.   Possibly you have more food waste than you can handle in a single bay.  Beelarong Community Farm collect their food waste in wheelie bins (the size of the brown bin) and empty them in the bays in their weekly work morning.  They also have a tractor to move the piles from one bay to the next! On the topic of maturing compost.  At Camp Hill I have started moving the oldest compost into a couple of old large compost bins that sit on the ground (the square kind with the sliding doors at the bottom that no one wanted).  That buys me more time to let it settle down before using it.  We have sifted and bagged up (in used garden products bags) the mature compost and sold it for $3 a bag as a garden fund raiser.  I can't imagine not being able to distribute the compost. On the topic of volunteers. I have not been able to crack that one yet.  I am hoping that some signage at the compost hub (think chalkboard) might help me draw a few people in.  We just got a signboard painted so that is yet to be determined.  Good luck and I'd like to stop in one day and visit your garden.CindyCamp Hill Composting hub on Linkedin Email Marjorie,  I can relate to this post even though we have a much smaller operation at Camp Hill.  I'll offer a couple of thoughts.  If you have just commenced the monthly visit from Mark and goinggreenaustralia you will find that they make quick work of the move from the bins to the bays.  I would recommend though that you have an empty or new bay ready for them.   Possibly you have more food waste than you can handle in a single bay.  Beelarong Community Farm collect their food waste in wheelie bins (the size of the brown bin) and empty them in the bays in their weekly work morning.  They also have a tractor to move the piles from one bay to the next! On the topic of maturing compost.  At Camp Hill I have started moving the oldest compost into a couple of old large compost bins that sit on the ground (the square kind with the sliding doors at the bottom that no one wanted).  That buys me more time to let it settle down before using it.  We have sifted and bagged up (in used garden products bags) the mature compost and sold it for $3 a bag as a garden fund raiser.  I can't imagine not being able to distribute the compost. On the topic of volunteers. I have not been able to crack that one yet.  I am hoping that some signage at the compost hub (think chalkboard) might help me draw a few people in.  We just got a signboard painted so that is yet to be determined.  Good luck and I'd like to stop in one day and visit your garden.CindyCamp Hill Composting hub link
wendyA almost 3 years ago
We had run out of storage space, but opened it up to members to take some home and that seems to be improving the situation. We are lucky as we have a solid core of composters on a Wed am, which is when the major work is done.
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Share We had run out of storage space, but opened it up to members to take some home and that seems to be improving the situation. We are lucky as we have a solid core of composters on a Wed am, which is when the major work is done. on Facebook Share We had run out of storage space, but opened it up to members to take some home and that seems to be improving the situation. We are lucky as we have a solid core of composters on a Wed am, which is when the major work is done. on Twitter Share We had run out of storage space, but opened it up to members to take some home and that seems to be improving the situation. We are lucky as we have a solid core of composters on a Wed am, which is when the major work is done. on Linkedin Email We had run out of storage space, but opened it up to members to take some home and that seems to be improving the situation. We are lucky as we have a solid core of composters on a Wed am, which is when the major work is done. link