JULY 17, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
(Marco De Luca)
Earning their daily bread It’s taken Chris Sharkey a year to learn how to mill his own wheat. Using a stonemill to grind the wheat fine enough for baking, but not too fine to reduce the amount of processing, is a lot harder than it sounds, according to the fourth generation Balliang crop farmer. “You get the grain, put it between the two stones, press it out and lightly sieve it to get rid of some of the bran and that’s it,” he says. “But that’s just a really simple way of explaining … it was a lot harder than that.” Mr Sharkey teamed up with Darley baker Jordan Walls for a “paddock to plate” bread adventure. Mr Walls’ sourdough bread uses only four ingredients – locally milled flour, water, salt and culture. So far he’s had really good feedback from friends and family who’ve tried it. “It’s a crusty, soft loaf with an earthy flavour,” Mr Walls says. “It’s like a bowl of vegetable soup your mum made when you were 13 and sick, souvlaki after a hangover, fruits and nut after dinner, a good beer on a Sunday afternoon. It just makes you feel good.” The men are awaiting Moorabool council approval to sell their bread. Sumeyya Ilanbey
JORDAN WALLS AND CHRIS SHARKEY
Tainted waste crackdown By Sumeyya Ilanbey Cameras and GPS tracking devices have been installed in Melton council rubbish trucks to crack down on residents contaminating green waste bins with household rubbish. Those caught doing the wrong thing can be fined up to $155 and repeat offenders could have their bins removed. The council says more than 33 tonnes of organic waste have been diverted to landfill in the past seven months as a result of “excessive” contamination.
Nappies, household waste, rocks, building materials and bricks have been found in recent truck loads. These materials could potentially damage rubbish trucks and processing equipment, according to Melton council. Mayor Bob Turner said council officers, collection drivers and bin inspectors would ramp up patrols in response to the recent spate of contamination in green waste bins. “Trucks are embedded with technology to identify contaminated green waste bins, including cameras and GPS, and can
identify which house was responsible for the contamination,” he said. Cr Turner said diverting green waste also contributed to greenhouse gases. Council planning and development manager Luke Shannon said contamination in green waste bins had been an issue for several years and was widespread in the municipality. Compost Revolution, a New South Wales-based initiative that works with councils across the country to assist residents with composting, says it has reached out to Melton council several times in the past two years.
Melton operations manager Les Stokes this week said the council did not have the budget to implement Compost Revolution’s program. “Council is in the process of establishing a new waste strategy and education program,” he said. “When the time is right, we will reconsider the Compost Revolution program against all other initiatives. ” For more information about what you can put in kerbside bins, visit melton.vic.gov.au/ waste
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