City Compost Network is a social enterprise startup based in Melbourne, Australia. City Compost Network is on a mission to create a culture in which composting and food waste recycling is the most natural and easy thing to do.
Xuan Wang, co-founder of City Compost Network, interviewed a range of people involved in composting and food scrap recycling and those interviews have now been launched as series of 12 podcast episodes (published on PodBean) to assist others to set up their own initiatives.
Episode 1: Pump House apartment block community composting (Multi-unit dwelling communal composting)
Episode 2: Urban Coup Co-housing Community (Multi-unit dwelling communal composting)
Episode 3: Finbar Neighbourhood House Community Compost Hub (Neighbourhood composting/ urban agriculture/ community centre)
Episode 4: Kensington Town Hall Compost Hub (Neighbourhood composting/ urban agriculture/ community centre)
Episode 5: Gore Street Compost Hub (Neighbourhood composting/ urban agriculture/ backyard composting)
Episode 6: Sustainable Chippendale Street Compost (Neighbourhood composting/ urban agriculture/ verge composting)
Episode 7: Market Garden Park Community Compost (Neighbourhood composting/ urban agriculture/ community garden)
Episode 8: Pentridge Community Garden Community Compost (Multi-unit dwelling communal composting/ community garden)
Episode 9: YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) Compost Project (Neighbourhood composting/ backyard composting)
Episode 10: South Melbourne Sustainability Group (Neighbourhood composting/ urban agriculture)
Episode 11: Kegworth Public School Community Sharewaste Initiative (School composting/ urban agriculture)
Episode 12: Capital Scraps Interview with Dr. Brook Clinton (Neighbourhood composting/ Composting business)
Episode 1: Pump House apartment block community composting
In this episode we chatted with Avi from Pump house, North Melbourne. Avi shared with us the community compost hub within her apartment building, including the smooth voting process, managing pest and complaints, the ongoing workload and so much more!
Listen to Episode 1
Episode 2: Urban Coup Co-housing Community
In this interview, Initiator and resident Alex and Cath from the Urban Coup Community share about their journey from having a vision for the community, working with developer to turn that vision into reality, to how their food and garden organic waste pick up contract came about and so much more. If you live in an apartment or love to initiate a food and garden organic recycling program in your network, this episode is especially for you.
Listen to Episode 2
Episode 3: Finbar Neighbourhood House Community Compost Hub
In this episode, Kath, is dedicated in community garden in Finbar Neighbourhood house. She tells us the story when she took over taking care of a few garden beds in 2013, to expanding the compost hub so 400 local families drop off their food waste each week. Kath also share with us the benefits of having different types of composting systems, a neighbourhood complaint turned into a heart-warming story and future plans to bring local communities together.
Listen to Episode 3
Episode 4: Kensington Town Hall Compost Hub
In this episode, site coordinator Dave from Kensington Town Hall Compost Hub shared with us the story of how an under utilised carpark behind Kensington Town Hall became a community driven compost hub within City of Melbourne municipality, tips on how to pest proof hot compost bays, how the compost hub is an integral part of the close loop food system in Kensington and so much more.
Listen to Episode 4
Episode 5: Gore Street Compost Hub
In this episode, local community member Jo, of Fitzroy in Melbourne won a community initiative of the year award from City of Yarra in 2022 for the Gore street compost hub, she operates in her front garden. The compost hub is consisted of 6 bays and processing 1.5 cubic meters of food waste and brown source every 3 weeks from over 100 users. Her commitment of diverting food waste from landfill is astonishing, and she make it as easy as possible for scraps donors.
Listen to Episode 5
Episode 6: Sustainable Chippendale Street Compost
In this episode, Michael from sustainable Chippendale Street Compost shared with us the food for the future event of planting trees, adding irrigation system that kicked off the realisation of how poor local soil quality is. This unfolded the process of footpath garden policy that enabled gardening and composting on the footpath. And now many cafes have raised garden bed with cool seats to compost their food waste and for patrons to enjoy their time.
Listen to Episode 6
Episode 7: Market Garden Park Community Compost
In this episode, Janet, the president of the Market Garden Park Community Garden in Willoughby, Sydney, shared with us the story of taking over an underutilised community garden from a developer, and trailing various different types of composting system. Importance of have a supportive council liaison, and the education component community compost plays for the local communities.
Does your community garden have a community compost initiative? Are the community compost activities incorporated in the gardening activities among members? Share with us what has worked for your community garden!
Listen to Episode 7
Episode 8: Pentridge Community Garden Community Compost
In this episode, Andrew, Rusell and Kat from Pentridge community garden shared with us about the community compost within their garden. They shared with us how they approached the developer to make space for a community garden, the art between shared responsibility and coordinated approach, and benefits of learning from a group of community gardens and so much more.
Are you living within a development complex? Would you like to connect with local residents to compost and grow food together? Let us know in the comments! We would love to hear how this episode has inspired you to take actions.
Listen to Episode 8
Episode 9: YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) Compost Project
In this episode, Joel and Mikaela from Castlemaine, Victoria shared with us about the YIMBY compost project. YIMBY stands for YES IN MY BACK YARD. The development from 3 resident led composters in 2020 to 10 composters in early 2023, the training and onboarding system of new composter, keeping organic resources locally to grow food, and the big vision to have YIMBY host across the whole Mt alexander shire are just tips of this episode. If you or your community garden never have enough compost to use, this episode is especially for you!
Where would you like to see community transforming local organic resources into food? Where would you like to take your household and community action on? Leave us a comment! We would love to hear how this episode has inspired you to take actions!
Episode 10: South Melbourne Sustainability Group
In this episode, Andrew from South Melbourne Sustainability group shared with us their alternative food waste recycling process in public community gardens. With 4 ton food waste processing capacity per year in each community garden, this process has turned local resources into local food and safer public space for local residents to enjoy and connect. It has been a successful model for 5 local community gardens to rejuvenate soil to grow food without any additional funding or worry about pests and complaints.
Episode 11: Kegworth Public School Community Sharewaste Initiative
In this episode, Leah from Kegworth Public School in Leichhardt, Sydney shared with us how the eco warrior club students take ownership in collecting food waste buckets and composting in the school community garden. We discussed some of the compost equipment’s are designed for adults that are not easy for children to operate. The students gain a sense of agency and pride in their daily action and many other educational and social benefits. If you are a teacher or you have little ones in school or childcare, this episode is especially for you.
Does your school have a community garden? Is the compost facility in operation or as decoration? What are some of the challenges you know the compost facility has experience? Share with us in a comment below. We would love to help schools and their community to make their community compost effort a success.
Episode 12: Capital Scraps Interview with Dr. Brook Clinton
In this episode, Dr. Brook Clinton from Capital Scraps shared with us the process of turning residential food waste into ‘heart-felt’ compost thanks to her innovative high-efficiency system. Capital Scraps’ network of decentralised compost hubs is mostly located on public land in Canberra. This is a unique and scalable system, demonstrating that urban composting can be not only ultra localised but also pleasant and highly climate beneficial, contributing to urban greening projects. We also chatted about Dr. Clinton’s favourite recipe for making compost efficiently, how this helps sequester carbon and so much more.
If you visit Canberra, Capital Scraps’ new compost depot and educational hub is a must visit. If you are thinking of starting a community scale composting business, leave us a comment below, what would you like to learn from Capital Scraps!
Listen to the full series on PodBean or connect with City Compost Network on Facebook
Leave a Reply to Women in the Spotlight: Shaping the National Conversation on Community Composting – LOCCAL Cancel reply