Sunday 22 June 2008

The Glebe | Glebe Local News

GREENTHUMB and local resident Maree O'Malley has helped to release an innovative composting bucket to Australia and she hopes it leads to more recycling.

Bokashi buckets are air-tight and use a combination of bran and rice husks infused with microbes to break down kitchen waste into rich compost and liquid.

Ms O'Malley said any effort to reduce our environmental footprint was worthwhile: "A large percentage of what goes into landfill is domestic organic waste, which is a pretty easy thing to recycle."

In fact, organic material buried in landfills causes over three per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.

Ms O'Malley said the reaction from residents, local councils and businesses has been very positive in today's eco-friendly climate.

"In the last couple of years, we've become a lot more aware of the importance of looking after our environment," Ms O'Malley said. "It's become quite a topic at the moment, it's quite in vogue to be green."

The passionate environmentalist has been to local events to spread the word, including regular appearances at the Orange Grove Public School markets.

Ms O'Malley has been working on the project for the past three years and hopes to expand within the eco industry: "Most people know what a worm farm is or what a compost bin is (but) most wouldn't know what a Bokashi bucket was."

The Marrickville resident has 22 outlets across Australia, including in Glebe, Rozelle and Newtown.

Details: http://www.bokashi.com.au/.

The Glebe Glebe Local News

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