Earth Day Adoption: Compost Time

Since 1970 we have been celebrating March 22nd as Earth Day - a day to reconsider our impact on the environment and what we can do to improve things. It has had international celebrations and grassroots campaigns. We have signed treaties to re-establish our commitments to making the world better. We turn the lights off, plant trees, and make an effort to reduce food waste. For me, this year I adopted a few thousand new family members.

For a while now I've felt bad about my lack of composting - I grew up with compost heaps and chickens for scraps to go to, and simply tossing everything into the bin doesn't sit well with me at all. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an unwanted worm farm, though, and with the (not so minor) purchase of a box of worms I am ready to get started on composting.

Australian households generate 1.3 tonnes of landfill waste a year (second only to the US) and up to forty percent of that waste is compostable. We do have government recycling programs in place: municipal garbage collection is divided between three bins (one for pure trash, one for recyclables and one for 'green' or organic waste), and most drink bottles and cans can be returned to recycling depots for 10c each. These are easy ways for everybody to contribute to cleaning things up, but it isn't hard to do more, either. The stigma against composting - that it smells bad and attracts rodents - is a lot like the reservations people hold against animals like chickens and pigs: they're only gross when you make them wallow in filth. Properly managed compost isn't gross at all!

Things got off to a slow start. Once I had washed the accumulated spiders off the much neglected worm farm and set it up in its new location it was time to set in the worms: a layer of cardboard and newspaper for the base, followed by the contents of the box (a big bag of worms, eggs and dirt), some more damp newspaper and an old tshirt (because I have no idea where to obtain a conveniently round piece of burlap to act as a 'lid' for the compost section.

There wasn't a lot of movement in the box - the worms were lethargic. I worried that they'd been on the shelf too long and I'd bought a box of dead worms! Still, giving them the benefit of the doubt, I gave them a bit of water to discourage ants (my property is plagued) by ants investigating too closely, and closed the lid.

The tap leaks, unfortunately, and I may have to add some pots of water for the legs to stand in to keep the ants out - I don't want them attacking my worms! - but it seems like it will be a good spot for it. There is a roof to keep the worst of the weather out (we don't want them drowning) and it gets sun in the morning but shade to keep them cool in the afternoon. It's close to the kitchen so, as they grow and breed, it will be easy to take them out some scraps.

Now the waiting begins - I'm quite excited to have a batch of home-made fertiliser in the not-too-distant future, and I already feel better about my reduced food waste. I'm working on getting a few chickens, too, and that will be even better!

Landfill and recycling statistics from Summerland's Eco Tips document.