YOUR NOOSA

Garden Waste Goes Full Circle

Your humble garden waste bin is not only helping to keep organic waste out of landfill where it produces methane gas, but also supports a circular economy within the Shire.

Cootharaba Macadamia farmers Dan and Belinda Blanco have been using the doublegrind mulch – produced from green waste collected in the bins - for the past three years to promote crop growth across their 150-hectare plantation.

Mr Blanco said the mulch – which is replacing chemical fertilisers – is great for their business, BELMAC, by helping build heathier soils rich in microbial activity.

“The trees and grasses are thriving in it and it’s paying dividends via increased yields and a 70% reduction in erosion,” he said.

“We have reduced our nitrogen input by over 85 percent.

“For BELMAC to use a product that is essentially made from green waste to become cleaner and greener with our farming methods is the future of our commercial farming.

“It’s also cost effective and convenient to apply.”

Council’s Waste Manager, Kyrone Dodd, said residents could support the circular economy process by ensuring only organic garden waste ends up in their garden waste bins. The garden waste is processed into both single and double-grind mulch which every resident can access for use in their gardens. The mulch is available in single-grind format for free, and double-grind format for $20 per cubic metre from Council’s Eumundi-Noosa Road Resource Recovery Centre.