In partnership with Worm Lovers and Food Compost Food, the City of Stonnington in Melbourne has worked with local Owners Corporations to help set up communal worm farms at three apartment buildings.
The buildings were involved in a pilot project to trial innovative solutions for recycling food waste onsite.
By recycling their food scraps in their new communal worm farm, residents avoid sending waste to landfill, while also working together towards a more sustainable future.
Bulky home composting units and limited available space makes it difficult for people living in apartments to recycle food waste through standard composting systems. Innovative solutions, such as communal composting, provide a great alternative.
The involvement of local apartment buildings was driven by Owners Corporations who were looking to do their bit for the environment but also keen to explore the benefits the project may have on the building’s gardens.
In only six months, the pilot project has already resulted in an average reduction of nine per cent in the amount of food waste sent to landfill from all three apartment buildings. It is expected that further reductions will occur as participation by residents grows.
Alongside the environmental benefits, the project has also resulted in a number of social benefits, including the fostering of improved community connections between apartment dwellers.
All Owners Corporations involved in the pilot reported an increase in community connectedness within the block.
Worm Lovers is a company that provides worm farms to businesses, Councils, households and apartments buildings.
Food Compost Food is a project by Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, and the University of South Australia, Adelaide that pilots various models for composting household and commercial food waste, for the purposes of growing food.
