Alice Springs has produced more than 8,000 cubic metres of high grade mulch since a new green waste processing facility opened at the Alice Springs Landfill in November 2002. From a small shipping container on five acres of land at the back of the Alice Springs Landfill, Lucky Derrington and Justin Presley make mountains of mulch. No power, no running water and no airconditioning – just lots of green waste to process, flies and a mobile phone for contact with the outside world. And they love it!
Justin Presley said it felt good to be able to give something back to the community.
“The mulch we produce is 90 to 100 per cent weed free, so we always get a good response from our customers,” he said.
Originally a joint undertaking of Tangentyere and Alice Springs Town Councils to reduce the size and prolong the life of the Alice Springs Landfill, it has created Indigenous employment opportunities, and produced top quality recycled gardening products for the community.
In September, Alice Springs Town Council took full control of the green waste recycling facility. Council couldn’t split the team with the winning recipe for Alice Springs’ best garden mulch, so Lucky and Justin were employed as Tangentyere subcontractors to stay on as the main site operators.
Lucky and Justin are proud of the mulch they make, as it is one of the cheapest, highest quality, homegrown mulches available for domestic or commercial garden use in Alice Springs.
“People dump their clean green waste free of charge at the site, where it is fed through a tub grinder and spat out into a large mound,” he said. “We turn the pile every few weeks to allow the mulch to aerate and the moisture to evaporate, and we take temperature testings every fortnight.”
Council’s Environment Officer, Ange Vincent, said she would be working with Lucky and Justin to expand Alice Springs’ green waste recycling operations in the future.
