Food Waste, Composting and Worm Farming

The Kitchen Caddy has arrived!

Download the 2013 Bin Collection Calendar

The City of Marion has launched a new kitchen recycling bin to divert food scraps from landfill and turn them into compost and mulch for parks and gardens.

The Kitchen Caddy is a small bin, designed to make it quick and easy for people to fill it with food scraps while cooking, rather than contaminate the garbage bin by mixing them with general household waste.

Food waste accounts for about 35% of what is placed in garbage bins, so get a Kitchen Caddy and help do your bit!

How do I get a Kitchen Caddy?

Residents with proof of identification and residence showing that they live in the Marion Council area, can collect their Kitchen Caddy (one per household) free of charge (whilst stocks and funds last) from the City of Marion Administration Building, 245 Sturt Road, Sturt. 

Simply fill out a Kitchen Caddy Collection Form(431 kb) which you can also get from City of Marion's Customer Service Centre.

What about a Worm Farm or Compost Bin?

As an alternative to the Kitchen Caddy, we will give residents a $20 refund on a worm farm or compost bin purchased after November 2012 (while funds last).

You can download the Compost Bin or Worm Farm Rebate Form(461 kb) which you can also get from City of Marion's Customer Service Centre.

What can I put in the Kitchen Caddy?

All food scraps such as:

All dairy including cheese and yoghurt Bread, cake and rolls All meat scraps including bones Seafood - raw and cooked Shredded paper

Fruit and vegetables Tea bags Coffee grounds Egg shells Hair

What can’t I put in the Kitchen Caddy?

The following can not go in the Kitchen Caddy:

Plastic bags Cans or metal Cling film or glad wrap Nappies Vacuum dust

Cigarette butts and ash Kitty litter Liquids Glass or ceramics General rubbish

For further information about the Kitchen Caddy or any of these initiatives, you can download the Kitchen Caddy Brochure 2012(264 kb) or contact City of Marion’s Waste Education Officer on 8375 6600.

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Home composting and worm farms

Home composting and worm farming are some of the most natural and efficient ways of recycling. It is easy to do, cheap and provides many benefits:

• Improves garden health and soil structure by adding nutrients.
• Reduces water use in the garden.
• Saves money spent on fertilisers and mulch.
• Reduces the cost of waste disposal to the community.
• Reduces greenhouse gases produced by rotting material in landfill.
• Saves landfill space.

It's simple! All you need to do is put your kitchen scraps and other organic material into a compost bin or worm farm rather than your rubbish bin.

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Compost bins

What materials can go in a compost bin?

Any item that was once part of a living thing can be composted, listed below are some of the more common items that are suitable for home composting:

Bark Bread Cereals Dairy products* Eggshells Flowers Food scraps Fruit and vegetables

Garden waste Grass clippings Hair Hay/Straw Horse and chicken manure Leaves Meat*

Paper Sawdust Small twigs Vacuum cleaner dust Wood ash Woodchips Wool

* Avoid placing meat or dairy products in the compost until you are confident and experienced with composting methods and your compost heap is working well.

 
Tips for successful composting

• To get your compost heap working well you need a mixture of ingredients as well as water and air.
• If you add dry materials to your heap make sure you add a sprinkle of water; your compost heap should be as moist as a well wrung out sponge. 
• Turn your compost heap, with a garden fork, every couple of weeks to make sure it is getting enough air.

 
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Worm farms

What materials can go in a worm farm?

As a guide worms will eat any item that was once living thing, listed below are some of the more common items that are suitable for worm farms:

Coffee grindings Egg cartons (torn & soaked first) Eggshells Fruit and vegetables Hair clippings (including animal) Manures - well aged horse and chicken manure

Newspapers (torn & soaked first) Paper Pizza boxes (torn & soaked first) Tea bags and leaves Vacuum cleaner dust

Tips for successful worm farming

• To increase the rate at which your worms eat your waste, mashed, blend or chop the food into smaller pieces.
• A handful of lime or crushed oyster shells or eggshells or ashes from a fire will help to balance the acidity
• Pre-soak any dry materials such as paper, card and old manures to keep the moisture levels up in your worm farm.

Why should I compost or use a worm farm?

Nearly half of the rubbish thrown in the red rubbish bin could be made into compost.

In the City of Marion alone, this equates to an average of 3kg per household per week or almost 5,500 tonnes across the entire council area per year of this material going straight to landfill.

Where can I get a compost bin or worm farm?

The KESAB website lists contact details for various suppliers of compost bins and worm farms.

For advice on home composting and worm farms, please contact City of Marion using the below details.

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Contact details

For further information, feel free to contact:

City of Marion
Phone: (08) 8375 6600
Fax: (08) 8375 6699
Email: waste@marion.sa.gov.au
Post: PO Box 21, Oaklands Park SA 5046
In Person: 245 Sturt Road, Sturt SA 5047