Organic waste is anything that was or is living. These waste streams usually come from the garden (garden organics, sometimes referred to as green waste) or the kitchen (food scraps).
Organics should neverbe put in your recycling bin at home. Many councils provide households with a Garden Organics bin and/or a Food Organics and Gardens Organics (FOGO) bin which accepts these materials.
Organic waste from the garden includes leaves, grass clippings, branches, hay, flowers, sawdust, woodchips and bark.
Food waste includes fruit, vegetables, tea, bread, coffe grounds, cereals, eggshells, grains, meat and dairy products.
If your council has provided you with a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bin, you can put most food scraps in that bin including meat and dairy. Check directly with your council to see if they have any restrictions.
If you council has only provided you with a Garden Organics bin, food waste will most likely not be allowed (check directly with your council).
If you have a compost or worm farm at home, most of these items can be composted. Meat and dairy products should not be put into composts. If you have a worm farm, you should also avoid adding citrus to it.
Planet Ark ambassador, landscape architect and Logie award-winning TV presenter, Costa Georgiadis, explains how to set up a compost or worm farm at home.
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Click on the fact sheet below for tips on how to set up a compost at home.
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A large amount of waste that goes to landfill is organic. This represents a wasted resource that fills limited landfill space. Organic matter in landfill breaks down and releases greenhouse gases including methane, which is a particularly potent greenhouse gas. As the organic waste decomposes it also produces liquid waste known as leachate that can contaminate surface and ground water.
Composting organic waste helps fight climate change. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions and turns waste into nutrient-rich soil that can be used to nurture vegetation.
The most common method of composting organic waste in Australia is aerobic windrow composting (also called hot composting). In this process, food waste is mixed with other organic waste like wood chips or paper before the material is formed into ‘windrows’ or mounded rows. The windrows are regularly turned and managed to optimise aerobic breakdown of the organic material (microbial breakdown of organic material in the presence of oxygen).
Another popular process that uses aerobic decomposition is in-vessel composting. This is similar to windrow composting, but the conditions can be more carefully controlled and the process is accelerated.
Biogas, including methane, is produced from anaerobic decomposition of organic waste (microbial breakdown of organic waste in the absence of oxygen). There are around 60 biogas generation facilities in Australia, producing biogas for electricity generation.
The solid material that is produced from composting is used as compost, mulch, potting mix, soil fertilisers and other soil conditioners. The liquid material that is produced from in-vessel composting and anaerobic decomposition is also used in soil conditioners, including liquid fertiliser that can be injected into the soil.
The use of compost in gardening, landscaping, horticulture and agriculture can:
Reduce the amount of watering required
Reduce the amount of synthetic fertilisers needed
Improve the structure, fertility and health of soils
Help to repair soils suffering from poor management
If your council hasn’t provided a Garden Organics bin, there are still ways to make sure your garden waste is put to good use. Peels is a free online platform that connects users with businesses, schools and neighbours that have composts and are willing to accept food scraps and garden waste.
Many neighbourhoods also have community gardens with composts that may accept organic waste.
If your workplace or business has large quantities of organic waste to dispose of, visit the garden organics page for businesses to find suitable drop-off or pick-up services.
All kinds of organic garden waste can be put in the garden organics bins supplied by your council including leaves, grass clippings, weeds, branches, hay, flowers, sawdust, woodchips and bark. Food should not be placed in garden organics bins.
Many councils provide their residents with garden organics bins to prevent this waste from being sent to landfill where it would produce potent greenhouse gases as it decomposes.
You can reuse shower water (known as greywater) in the garden, provided it’s done safely. Do not reuse water from toilets or the kitchen. It is not safe to use water from the shower on any plants you will eat. It is also not safe to store used shower water.
If you are keen to reuse your shower water in the garden to save water, the simplest (and cheapest) way to do this is by placing a bucket in your shower while you are using it to catch any excess water. If you’re looking for something more high-tech, you may like to think about installing a greywater diversion system or greywater treatment system (speak with your local council for more information).
Be sure to consult with the relevant people (such as your local council or a registered plumber) if you have any questions around approvals or impacts on human and plant health, and especially before altering any plumbing in your home.
Depends on what your council says – therefore, check with your local council to see if they are happy for you to place your plastic plant pots in your household recycling bin. You can also check with your council to see if they collect them for recycling at one of their recycling facilities.
You may also be able to take your plastic plant pots back to a local nursery for reuse and/or recycling if they have a collection point through PP5 (a recycling service for plastic plant pots that operates in many major cities across the country).
If you can’t find a recycling option for your plastic pots, you could try donating them to a local community garden or council nursery for reuse.
If your local council does not accept plastic plant pots for recycling, you might like to try a local nursery or garden centre. A good first point of call is the nursery where you purchased the plants. Alternatively, you can search for collection points through PP5 (a recycling service for plastic plant pots that operates in many major cities across the country).
No – you cannot place your unwanted garden hose in your household recycling bin. Although they’re often made from plastic, if you put them in your recycling bin, they can cause all sorts of problems at recycling facilities and may get caught in the machinery.
You might like to find some reuse options for your old garden hose, such as using them to make covers for saws and cutting tools. If you do need to throw your old hose away, be sure to place it in your general rubbish bin.
