By Mitchell Clarke
With 34 per cent of Cardinia Shire’s waste being compostable waste, demand has grown to create an initiative which helps to combat the current waste crisis.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Graeme Moore officially launched the first Community Compost Hub in the area on Monday 24 June at the Pakenham Community Garden.
The inspiration behind the project, Max Godber, said this was a great step to reduce landfill.
“The focus of this program is sustainability, education and inclusion,“ he said.“The compost hub was built for people who don’t have time or space in their backyards to have an active compost bin.“
While the project is currently only open to Pakenham residents, it’s hoped with more demand, initiatives like this will continue to grow in other locations.
“While it’s the first in Pakenham, we do hope to increase the number of composting stations in Pakenham and across Gipssland,“ he said.
“We like to keep it local because we want to build communities.“
Regular compost workshops for beginners through to experts will be held for members.
“It’s important because at the end of the day, you receive a wealth of benefits through composting,“ he said.
Residents wanting to take part must sign up and become a member.
“We make record of how much food waste per person as we only have a limited capacity in the hub,“ he said.
“At the moment, we can only really take compost from about 100 people.“
Pakenham residents wanting to take part can sign up for free via the Living Learning website.
