Cleanaway supports International Composting Awareness Week

As part of International Composting Awareness Week (5-11 May), waste and recycling management company Cleanaway is urging Australian householders to do more composting in an effort to divert recyclable materials away from landfill. The theme of this year’s event is Better Soil, Better Life, Better Future.

According to Cleanaway Organics Processing Manager Geoff Hemm, composting is nature’s way of recycling food and garden waste, providing nutrients to the soil and holding back recyclables from landfill space - yet many householders don’t realise they’re throwing away such a valuable resource. As of 2011, Australian householders were filling approximately half of their general waste wheelie bins with organic materials which could be composted through dedicated organic waste wheelie bin services or composted at home.

“Recycling your household organic materials is simple and cheap,” said Hemm.

“An organics recycling regime can be as easy as sorting garden and kitchen waste to avoid disposing of them in the general waste. They can be placed in the dedicated household organics wheelie bin from where they will be collected and transferred to a processing facility.

“At Cleanaway we have an involvement in organics collections/services throughout mainland Australia and take our role as a composter very seriously. We use processing technologies that minimise the risk of odour and can also tailor designs for the needs of particular locations, climates and feedstock.

“But for householders without an organics collection service, you can still make a difference by sorting your organic materials and starting your own household compost bin or heap to keep this material out of the waste stream.

“By doing so, one gets the benefit of improving soil in the best possible way, without incurring significant cost or inconvenience.”

International Composting Awareness Week Australia (ICAW) is an initiative of the Centre for Organic Research & Education (CORE).