GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) staff that are participating in the Home Composting Pilot Project, commenced with the capturing of their organic waste data on 1 July.
The 13 participants, from various sections within the organisation, received their worm farms and composting bins from the GRDM Waste Management Unit on 11 June.
Before taking the items in acceptance, the participants attended an information workshop that was presented by Johan Gie, GRDM District Waste Management Officer. The following topics were discussed during the session: the profile of domestic waste in the Garden Route; the benefits of home composting; types of composting such as cold, warm and vermi-composting; what to compost and what not to compost etc.
The project has already been implemented in all seven 7 local municipal areas of the Garden Route.
According to Gie, from January 2018 – December 2020, a total of 60 tons of recyclable materials was weighed, recorded and diverted from landfill by means of the GRDM Office Recycling Programme.
He added: “This initiative aims to divert waste even further by extending the programme to include organic waste composting generated in the offices, e.g. tea bags, coffee grounds, banana peels, apple cores, etc.”
The information workshop was presented by Johan Gie, District Waste Management Officer at Garden Route District Municipality.
With these projects, internally and in the various communities, the municipality aims to reach the targets set by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) to divert 50% of organic waste from landfill within the entire district by 2022.
Gie further emphasised that the targets set by DEA&DP include a total ban on organic waste to landfill by 2027. “Therefore, as a district municipality, we are striving towards reaching these targets for the Garden Route,” he highlighted.
In ensuring that the participants are fully equipped to start with the capturing of information, they each received an electronic scale, datasheets, and a composting guideline. These resources will enable each participant to accurately record essential information relating to their recycling activities. All information will then be reported to the GRDM Waste Management Unit on a monthly basis for a one year period.
A guide and scale provided to each participant to capture the information throughout the year.
The data collected from the Home Composting Pilot Project will be used to demonstrate the feasibility and motivate the various local municipalities within the district to further roll out home composting programmes within their respective municipalities.
Did you know?
The benefits of compost include:
- With compost, you are creating rich humus for your garden. This adds nutrients to your plants and helps retain moisture in the soil;
- Composting can divert as much as 30% of household waste away from the garbage bin;
- Diverting organic waste from landfill – extend lifespan of landfills and reduce transport & management costs;
- Microscopic organisms help aerate the soil, break down organic material for plant use and ward off plant diseases;
- Composting offers a natural or “green” alternative to chemical fertilizers (emissions transport & machinery, packaging) – it is good for the environment;
- No need to purchase compost or fertilizers.
What waste to compost?
- Kitchen waste
- Fruit & vegetable scraps
- Eggshells (crushed)*
- Green leaves
- Grass clippings
- Garden plants
- Lawn & Garden weeds*
- Coffee grounds
- Tea leaves / bags
- Manure*
- Shrub prunings
- Wood ash
- Dry leaves
- Cardboard
- Newspaper & shredded paper*
- Sawdust & wood chips*
What not to compost?
- Anything containing meat, oil, fat or grease
- Diseased plant material
- Sawdust or woodchips from treated wood*
- Dog or cat faeces
- Weeds that have seeds*
- Dairy products
- Coal ash
- Cooked foods
- Nappies and used tissues
- Glossy or coloured paper*
For more information regarding recycling or home composting, contact the GRDM Waste Management Unit at 044 693 0006 or via e-mail at: johang@gardenroute.gov.za.
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