Diverting food waste from landfill

Strategies to divert food waste from landfill will help deal with unavoidable food waste – such as apple cores, banana skins – the parts of food that are not desirable to eat!

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• Composting allows organic matter to be broken down aerobically and produces compost and rich humus which is good for plants and soil. Equal volumes of green and brown waste should be used. Compost is created within 8-12 weeks. Minimum of 3 bins.
• Worm farming is another way of getting rid of food waste and it produces a liquid fertiliser which can be used on vegetable and herb gardens.  Can be used alongside composters or where a school has no garden waste and/or limited space. One worm can eat its own weight in food each day. 1-2kg of worms can deal with 1-2kgs of food waste per day!
• Chickens are a great way of getting rid of food waste not to mention a great opportunity for children to learn about life cycles and care routines. They provide eggs and their poop can be used as fertiliser. One chicken can eat between 120-150g per day.
• Food organics and/or garden organics collections can be provided by the school waste contractor for items that cannot be fed to worm farms, animals or put into composters and provide additional capacity to deal with food waste.  The minimum size for food waste should be a 240L wheelie bin with a weekly collection.