The Hills Shire Council, New South Wales, is running a first of its kind in Australia worm farm trial in an apartment complex in North Kellyville.
The ‘skip bin-sized’ worm farm is located in a carpark – just beneath the complex – and houses roughly 120,000 (30kg of) worms, which will produce both worm castings and worm tea for the building to use in their shared garden plots and on balcony verandas.
The worm farm, supplied by Worms Downunder, is the first of its kind to be trialled in a residential apartment complex by any council in Australia.
Mayor, Dr Michelle Byrne said the trial would look at how residents living in apartments can reduce food waste from their red lidded bins.
“A worm farm is fairly low maintenance, and it’s a great way to process food waste.
“Worm tea and castings is highly regarded as a powerful natural fertiliser for plants.”
Councillor Robyn Preston, who has been involved with this trial said that a worm farm was a great way to recycle a community’s food scraps into a rich fertiliser.
“Apartments bring a massive increase in population and with that comes an increase in the food waste created by apartment occupants.
“Council is thinking creatively to find ways to manage this waste and recycling food scraps onsite has been something I have been advocating for.”
The results of the trial will inform Council on food scrap separation behaviours and will allow for further discussions to take place on the potential of collecting food waste separately from apartment complexes in the future.
Council has also teamed up with the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority and Compost Revolution to offer residents a 50 percent discount and free delivery on compost bins, worm farms and bokashi bins.
