By Mikayla van Loon
The Bridge House’s community garden in Kilsyth is getting a revamp, starting with the building of a compost hub.
Plans to reinvigorate the existing community garden began in September last year by Pat Natoli and has slowly been building traction within the community, now recognised by the Community Alliance for Waste Reduction and Sustainability (CAWRS).
Over the last month, volunteers have been working tirelessly over three sessions to get the compost station built, with many of the final structural details put together on Wednesday 25 May.
The compost bins themselves are being made from recycled timber pallets, diverting at least a tonnes worth of wood from landfill.
Co-project manager Max Godber said the three square metre hub was just the beginning for the overhaul of the current garden.
“We’ll be breathing new life into this space with the hopes that it will become a gathering place that community gardens are known for,” he said.
“A lot of people think it’s just about gardening in community gardens but really the most important part of it is providing a safe social space for everyone to feel welcome, share knowledge, make new connections in the community and build a stronger sense of contribution to one’s community.”
Max said the Alliance has many things planned for community gardens like that in Kilsyth, potentially seeing the establishment of a repair cafe, a men’s shed and a she shed.
Working with migrant communities to ensure they can share their knowledge around using the entirety of a vegetable so nothing goes to waste is also a priority for the Alliance.
Once the compost hub is up and running with signage installed, a launch event will be hosted at The Bridge House which will most likely include a working bee on the garden, a community dinner and discussions around what people would like to see from the garden itself.
“[We can] have those conversations about what’s the next step? How else can our community come together and help divert needless things that might end up in landfill?
“Whether it’s compostable through the compost hubs, recyclable through simpler and easier messaging around what goes in what bin and if it can’t go in the bin, where can you take it to?
“This project is really about putting in place the support mechanisms for these community
groups to feel supported, so that they can reach the same level of diversion.”
To read more about the CAWRS initiative, go to https://mountevelyn.mailcommunity.com.au/news/2022-05-27/community-organisations-band-together-to-reduce-waste/
