Worm Farm Workshop Makes Gardens Green

The free event will be held on Thursday 6 May from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre, Leach Highway, Winthrop. The workshop coincides with International Composting Awareness Week from 3 to 8 May 2010.

City of Melville Environmental Education Officer Penelope Musgrove said that 60 percent of the rubbish that Australians put into garbage bins could be used in the garden as compost and mulch.

“Worm farms are a fun and easy way for you and your family to improve your waste-resource management and soil quality,” she said.

“Worms will help you to dispose of organic waste matter such as tea-bags, old cotton clothing, tissues and paper, vegetable and food scraps, meat, hair and even animal manure.

“The by-product is a natural, enzyme-enriched fertiliser you can use to outstanding effect on your garden.

“Worm farms also teach your children about the value of invertebrates in: nutrient cycling; ecosystems; and sustainability.

“All you need to do is set up your worm farm, feed them the appropriate amount of scraps, water them like you would your plants, and they will sustain themselves. They are smart little critters, only reproducing when the population is too low for the area they inhabit.

“The process is very economical and significantly reduces a person’s carbon footprint, including the amount of landfill they create.”

To book a place at the free, worm farm workshop please contact City of Melville Environmental Education Officer Penelope Musgrove on 9364 0790 or penelope.musgrove@melville.wa.gov.au

Anyone attending the workshop could win an established worm farm for use in their own garden. In addition, the City of Melville is offering 15 x 220L conical compost bins to 15 lucky residents. To enter the competition, simply email your details to penelope.musgrove@melville.wa.gov.au