How Geelong’s green waste is feeding its most vulnerable residents

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The fate of our green waste once it's picked up from the kerbside, is a mystery to many Victorians. But for some people in Geelong, it's ending up back on their plates in a round-about way used as compost to grow food for those in need.

Transcript

00:00Hamdia Mamadi shops at this social supermarket in Geelong monthly,

00:07swapping food vouchers in exchange for groceries.

00:11We save money for electric fields and gas and home and kids.

00:17Not just a bargain, it's also saving the environment.

00:21Some of the produce here is grown using green waste.

00:25About 750,000 tonnes of organic material from green bins

00:31is picked up yearly from 57 of Victoria's 79 councils.

00:37The City of Greater Geelong is setting an example,

00:40converting green waste into compost locally.

00:43The waste that we're creating rather than going into landfill

00:46is actually creating nutrients, going into food supply

00:50and going back to the residents that we have that are most in need in Geelong.

00:53First it's hand-picked to extract contaminants.

00:57It's then ground down before a machine helps to turn and irrigate the material.

01:03Then into a pile for maturation before it's broken down and bagged.

01:09Landfill space is really expensive.

01:12We also don't want to send organic matter to landfill because it generates methane.

01:16About 2,000 tonnes is provided to the Geelong Botanic Gardens.

01:21Those garden bins have performed a lot better than the ones that don't.

01:25About four crates of produce is donated to Geelong Foodshare every fortnight.

01:31Geelong is one of eight Victorian councils granted funding by Sustainability Victoria

01:36to increase the use of compost made from green waste within the community

01:40with hopes to expand the initiative to other local government areas to feed those in need.

01:45The more we can invest in turning those resources back into new products like composts and like mulch,

01:51the better value we get out of those.

01:53A circular economy turning trash into treasure.

01:57The more we can invest in new products like farmers is one of the most important important things

01:59to be able to think about the resources that are built on and the future.

02:00The more we can invest in our�

02:01and the more we can invest in new products like that millones are the most important things

02:02that are available to treasure.

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