Community Composter’s Spring Convergence 2025

LOCCAL hosted the Community Composter’s Spring Convergence in October. If you missed it, here are the highlights:

YIMBY Composting

Watch Joel’s presentation here:

Kensington Community Powered Compost Network

You can read more about them, and watch the virtual tour here:

LOCCAL Working Groups (WGs)

The LOCCAL team also gave updates on what they have been doing. There are lots of opportunities for anyone to get involved in our working groups below:

• Compost Standards & Testing
• Community Compost Champions Training
• Partnerships & Advocacy
• Communications Strategy

Watch the working groups segment here:

About community composting…

In her thoughtful piece “Growing the Neighbourhood through Community Composting,” Jo Dolley reflects on how local composting sites do more than recycle food scraps – they help cultivate connection. Drawing on the concept of “third places” – neighbourhood spaces where people naturally come together – Jo highlights how composting hubs can become social touchpoints that strengthen community ties, especially in a time when many Australians live alone or move frequently. Beyond turning waste into rich soil, these small shared spaces nurture the social fabric of our neighbourhoods, offering moments of conversation, belonging, and care. Read more here

LOCCAL committee members, Ernie Harbott and Clytie Binder, were recently featured in Breathe Magazine’s article “Waste Not” by Jade Beecroft, illustrated by Kathrin Lang. The story explores how community composting transforms kitchen scraps into connection – turning everyday waste into opportunities for growth, care, and community resilience. The article highlights the joy and empowerment that come from keeping food waste local. Ernie points out that compost is made up of “a community of tiny microbes, little bugs, worms and even small mammals” and “human communities are an important part of that cycle” and Clytie describes how composting “sparks joy, builds neighbourly bonds, and reconnects people with the natural rhythms of life, death, and regeneration”. Read more here

It feels good to make a quality product out of waste. It feels like you’ve cleaned something up and make the world a better place while creating something of value. Amanda Foxon-Hill gathered the pest fish carp and took it back to Emu Park farm, Canowindra to turn it into compost tea. Read more here

Call out for volunteers at Maleny Music Festival

Maleny Music Festival is a small festival with a big heart. Jam packed with three days full of music with camping on site. But did you know this festival is doing great things with compost too? 

Maleny Music Festival is delivering their 12th event this November. Over the last few years, The team have been working towards a festival that creates no waste and they are almost there. With lots of reuse and recycling initiatives at the event, the biggest and most successful change towards reducing waste to landfill was introducing compost bins. 

The food stalls at Maleny Music Festival are all 100% compostable. The stall holders are already using mostly if not all compostable serveware with the recent changes from plastic to paper straws for example so all stalls are happy to make small changes to be at our event. Local Waste Group: Waste Action Maleny help by providing education at the bins to remind people that everything from the food stalls goes in the compost bin on site. Then the waste team empty the compost event bins to be taken away to a large compost pile nearby at Woodford where it can decompose over many months. Ticket holders love this initiative and share our festival with like minded composters to come along and enjoy this festival with eco goals. 

Festival Director, Rachel Clarke says: “We are lucky to have a private compost pile, for all other festivals who want to take on this initiative, I woud say, that there are many private properties that would appreciate a large amount of compost for their garden or chickens and private arrangements can be made to salvage compost for a no dig garden bed. For those who don’t have a private compost arrangement, There is a commercial composting company based on the Sunshine Coast.  Earthborn Australia is a family owned and operated resource recovery and green organics recycling facility who will take all your food scraps and compostable serveware after a festival or event at a fee for service.  There really is no reason why all festivals and events cant be separating their food waste and compost on the Sunshine Coast.” 

By introducing 100% compostable stalls at our event, Maleny Music Festival has reduced their waste to landfill at the festival by 30%! 

If you would like to join the waste team at Maleny Music Festival, please apply to be a volunteer before Monday 3th November by contacting Rachel 0423834646 and you can get involved for a free ticket to this event and you can participate in this small festival with big composting goals!

What’s on in November

It’s getting hotter and the silly season is getting closer but there’s still plenty on around the country. Here are are just a few compost-related offerings but also see our What’s On Guide for a full listing:

Stay In Touch

Thank you for being of this collective composting journey! If you aren’t yet LOCCAL a member, please consider registering here (it’s free): www.loccal.org/membership

We are always on the lookout for new stories to share with (you) our network! If you would like to tell the world about what you are doing, or know of an interesting activity coming up, or if you have heard of someone whose story needs to be told, drop us a line at info@loccal.org. If you aren’t sure where to start, let us know and we can help turn you words into something to share with the world.

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