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A. Executive Summary

During Social Enterprise Grant Program, 2023-2024, 4 projects were implemented, with the support of 8 project coordinators across City of Melbourne.

11 compost/food waste recycling instrument deployed, more than 70 scraps contributors (estimating about 100), and 16 survey respondents.

In the expression of interest process, 7 organisations expressed interested. 6 plans (with 2 teams fromthesameorganisation)weredraftedand requested for approval. 4 plans were approved, and 4 community compostprograms wereimplemented

In theimplementationprocess,weconducted 22 sites visit, 5 interim reports drafted.

7 workshops delivered and 49 workshop participants attended those workshops.

1658KG food and organic waste diverted, 32KG plastic waste diverted from landfill and recycling destination. Compost and fertiliser harvested 1145L.

This fourorganisations includesDomainPark Apartment (DPA) , South Yarra, Kathleen Syme Library and Community Center (KSLCC), Carlton, Kangan Institute (KI), Docklands, University of Melbourne Community Garden (UMCG), Parkville.

B. Barriers for community composting

Qualitative research was conductedthroughCityCompost Network’s 12 Apartment and Community Compost/Food waste recycling Initiative Interviews.

Barriers, how it was discovered through above interviews and how this program addressed it were outlined in below table.

One could argue ‘How to deal with them’ outlines the bottom range to address the barrier without much expertise and resources and ‘How this program addressed it’ outlines how CCN addressed it with the expertise and resources from this grant.

Preceived effort & complexity to establish

Lack of technical knowledge

Organisations may be hesitant to commit or take steps to understand the quantity and nature of work it takes to establish.

Unable to choose the system that works for the organisation and establish processes to manage the carbon, nitrogen, water and air ratios as the four most important factors for composting.

This can be addressed by starting small, to see if further expansion would suit the organisation’svision and goals.

Basic check of your system. Does it look dry? Add (moistened/soaked) carbon source. Does it look too compact? Aerate it, flip it. Can you see only scraps? Add carbon source and mix through.

CCN provided site visits, consultation, drafting of plans, ordering and installation of facilities and signage, deliver education workshop to managers, volunteers and contributors.

Lack of funding/capital support & defined business model

Funding support generally supports infrastructuresetup. This leaves the initiatives to run on volunteer basis for majority of interviewees.

Apply for grants from local, state, federal government environment. Solicit donation for tools and compost instruments from the local community to demonstrate need and viability before further funding is available. Share existing tools in the community

Through this grant, CCN provided the financial resources to start the program and identified an viable ongoing business model for each organisation.

Lack of consistent volunteers/physi cal people pewer

Physical constraints (people power to manually aerateand flip compost) and social constraints (attitudes and food and garden organic program duplication) hinder volunteer participation.

Lack of skills and resources in communication with users and neighbourhood around the community compost hub

Community engagement and education is crucial for the success of community compost initiatives.

Community members with limited physical capacities can provide education to other community members. Invitefood waste donors to volunteer at your organisation to learn processes. Alternatively, engage university students in volunteering programs.

Streamline communication processes i.e., Facebook, Instagram, and/or messaging tools. Communicate about harvesting, working bees, and avoiding contamination is critical for the ongoing viability of the community compost hub.

Each program have established at least 2 project coordinator, and have ongoing volunteer engagement when necessary.

Contamination/ input requirement

Misunderstanding of input requirements between community compost, home composting and food and garden organic program often results in contamination that needs to be manually removed.

Lack of resources/ documented processed in training team members who manage the community compost hub

Leadership & policy support from local government

When core team members are on leave or stop being involved, it is critical to have others to manage the facility smoothly.

The leadership and policy support from council shapes the operation of community compost initiatives.

Provide education opportunities and signage onsite and at home (on the kitchen caddy and fridge) to remind people what can and cannot go in and why.

Write down who collects carbon source from where, how often, using what means. Write down who puts what content into what instrument, where and how often. What other actions did that person take.

Gather interested people to speak to your local council liaison about policy changes that could makes building a resilient local community easier.

CCN conducted education workshops so relavant stakeholders understand what to expect and deal to no pests or complaint reported, this has been easy?

CCN designed the plan that work for the operation and available feedstock of the community compost hubs and ran education workshops to manager, volunteers, contributors, and provided signage throughout.

CCN have delivered training packages to 4 hub managers, volunteers and contributors so if people change over, someone else can pick up the package to operate as the new normal.

Thanks to this grant, we are able to provide above service to reduce barriers to establish and participatein community composting.

C. Environmental, financial, economic, public space benefits

Based on benefits identified in the 12 interviews, we have examined the environmental, financial, economic, public space, social, educational and health benefits.

Environmental impact data is collected through self reporting. Financial, economic and public space use’s impact is through CCN’s evaluation. Social, educational and health impact data are collected through survey, which its evaluation is presented in a separate document.

The reported evaluation is as follows.

a. Environmental benefits

Food and organic waste (including paper waste) diverted 1658kg

Plastic waste diverted from recycling destination and landfill 32kg

Greenhouse gas emissionavoided at lease 4,145 kg CO2.

Compost and fertiliser harvested 1145L

This calculation has not taken into account the carbon sequestration benefits in soil carbon and organic fertiliser generated in replacement of synthetic fertiliser’s green house gas emission.

b. Financial benefits

For individual organisation there hasn’t be financial benefits from this program. What was learnt from this program is that waste management companyforKI also payforthecleaning wage. So notfeasible to understand the cost saving. UMCG doesn’t generate foodwasteonsite,so students andstaff bring over their food waste from home and offices. The financial benefits are not able to quantify.

For Council, the financial benefits come from waste diversion from DPA and KSLCC. Also DPA’s in kind contribution on renovating the garden room (including removing existingitems,cleaning and preparation for painting, painting, sensor light instalment, table and shelfing installation), to the project is about equivalent part of grant investment, estimated about 6,000 AUD.

c. Economic benefits

None of the four community organisation has transactional activities at all.

So no additional value has been generate for selling of product or service.Throughthis program,CCN was able to prototype Onsite food waste management consultation and implementation package which is low cost and innovative. This will benefit more organisations and municipality and generate more jobs

• Safer public space

This was identified from one interview. It was not written in the report. It also wasn’t measured.

• Social, Educational, Health benefits are evaluated in a separate document.

Below is a brief overview of the four projects

Community garden within Uni University 24/7 once knowing the existing of the compost hub

contractor

only accessible to residents, only to be used by residents already inducted

2 Employed Student volunteers, And monthly working bee volunteers

manager and volunteer team leader

only available to staff and students onsite Employed sustainability manager/cleaner

Community garden within community center

24/7 once someone knows the existence but not accepting public’s scraps, only to be used by staff and community kitchen hirer. 2 Staff (Acting Animator & Community Learning Team Lead)

garden internally and externally

(identified at the end, provided recommendation in training package)

flies (trouble shoot during pilot period, provided recommendation during workshop and in training package)

manager takes for growing arrangement