Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) is offering residents the opportunity to access compost at no charge during the month of October at the Whylandra Waste and Recycling Facility in Dubbo and the Wellington Waste Transfer Station.
The compost giveaway is for domestic use only with each household entitled to take the equivalent of one cubic metre of compost. Residents must load the compost themselves into a trailer, ute or bags. Council will provide the shovel at the location for loading.
“The residential compost giveaway last year was very popular with over 320 tonnes collected by residents. The giveaway was in direct response to the community requesting access to the compost product,” Dubbo Regional Council Resource Recovery and Efficiency Manager, Jamie Lobb said.
“We have responded to feedback from last year’s giveaway and extended the giveaway to also be available from the Wellington Waste Transfer Station. This allows greater accessibility to the compost during the giveaway period,” Mr Lobb said.
The compost is created from the contents of household green-lid food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bins, collected within the Local Government Area. The material is processed on site at Dubbo’s Whylandra Waste and Recycling Facility.
Compost has several benefits for plant growth including assisting to balance soil density, adding and retaining nutrients and discouraging disease, pests and weeds.
“Residents can use the product in a similar way to Council, blending it with sandy loam for application on sporting fields, public gardens, and cemeteries in both Dubbo and Wellington,” Mr Lobb said.
Good quality compost starts at the home. Residents can help create good quality compost by putting eligible food organics and garden organics in the green bin and keep it free of unacceptable items that cause contamination.
Residents can dispose of food scraps in a compostable bin liner or garden cuttings and grass clippings into their green bin rather than using their red bin to help divert waste from landfill.
Compostable bin liners can be requested by phone 6801 4000, in person at the Customer experience Centre at Dubbo or Wellington or via DRC&ME at www.dubbo.nsw.gov.au.