Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Monday, 2 July 2012

Parramatta Council's Fab New Waste Solution!

Dissappointingly I received a flyer over the last couple of weeks "Have YOUR Say on Waste Collection". Parra City Waste Survey "Take part in our survey and win one of 10 x $200 gift vouchers from Coles Myer, Bunnings, JB Hi FI"  Guys, which company has supported you on this and actually knows the proposed outcomes?

All new services carry a new charge.  So, this flyer, is a softner fo ratepayers and what they can expect to see on their next rates review.

Point1, Getting to the point:  Option 2: Dispose of food waste in the Garden Organics Bin.  Several Sydney councils have gone down this line over the past 5 years.  Penrith, Manly area, Eastern suburbs.  All seem to be missing the point with regards to recycling food waste in an organic and sustainable way.  For example, Penrith council put this in place some 3 years or so ago.  Within weeks, customers had rotting food in bins, in the hot summer, outside there addresses, with flys, smells and stenches to deal with.  The proposed pickups are not regular enough to guarantee a clean and healthy envoronment around the home.

Point 2, where is the waste going?  Nobody ever questions where the waste ends up,  they just wear the councils decision and abide by the new rules.  Unless the food waste is pastuerised immediately via a large commercial facility and turned into a nutrient rich soil conditioner or pellets (fertiliser) then the process is absolutely useless and will just create methane and gaps in landfil that will be disastrous.  My guess (unqualified) is it will be dumped with the rest of our waste.  They don't mention in the survey flyer, where the waste goes, or how it will be treated...

A better way to treat your household families food waste is to treat it with EM or bokashi powder, then compost the treated waste in a responsible way, like: heat treating and producing some form of pellets or fertiliser, or digging back through your garden, completing a close to home organic cycle.

I cannot say for sure, but I guess that most of these previous councils schemes have failed already and been shelved.  This scheme is only benefitting:  the waste contracters and the wholesale suppliers of wheelie bins.  Shame on you councils, for wasting ratepayers money on poorly researched schemes.

To get an idea of how the Japanese Bokashi System should work, check out www.bokashi.com.au .  EM (Effectictive Microorganisms) are naturally occuring and prevent food waste from rotting or putryfying.  Enabling you to re-use you kitchen food waste as a safe and nutrient rich soil conditioner, with no bad smells or bad effects on our fragile environment.

Do you want your smellie rotting food sitting in your compound for up to a week?

Very happy to receive your comments and reply as an exponent on Bokashi use in Australia.

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

The Live Smart Festival 2012 (Sun 1st April, 10am-2pm @ Mt Annan, Macarthur, NSW)

Great Free Event This Weekend,  & to be honest it really is a short drive from Sydney for the family, or carpool with some friends.


 

Sunday, 26 December 2010

Christmas, The Day After 'To Do's'

A couple of post celebration household tips, in case you forgot:

  1. Don't forget to Bokashi all your waste (Info Here)
  2. Sort all your recyclables (most families can see at least double this weekend)
  3. Save Christmas paper and tissue/decorations for possible re-use next year
  4. Turkey carcass can be simmered to resemble a lite 'fonds de volaille' (reduce by 2/3, skim, muslin & freeze)
  5. Ham leftover?  Bone the joint, segment the usable ham into 250gm-500gm pieces and gladwrap into refridgeration.  Vacpac the trimmings, and freeze away for later use. Make a stock with the bones and rind and freeze for future use.
  6. Berries, simmer quick then stick blend buzz with icing sugar, strain and bottle as fruit coulis.  The boil will stop any decomposition and benchmark it for a good few weeks in the fridge (bottled),  the sugar will help add as a preservative
  7. Too much pouring cream?  Sometimes it splits a bit after bringing out of the freezer, but you can usually get something enriching.  (Stroganoff)
  8. Red Wine.  Chances are someone spent a few dollars on that good drop. (Gluwein or Beef Borguignone for the North, For Downunder, keep for marinating holiday or NYE BBQ meats, Roo Fillet, Cervena)
OK,  so I mention the word freeze quite a lot,  but it is easy to waste food this time of year.  If you have a bucket of tomatoes that you know you are not going to use straight away,  then pop them in the freezer.  Then when you need to make Sce Tomate,  you have some snap frozen fresh tomatoes in the door of the freezer.
 
Finally,  a photo taken this week in Christchurch, New Zealand, about 10 minutes before the Lunar Eclipse.  Happy Holidays!

Wednesday, 5 November 2008

Montessori East Sustainable Food Extravaganza




Where: 8 Wellington Street, BONDI, NSW, Australia.

When: Saturday, 8 November 2008, 10am to 4pm

Montessori East will hold a significant fundraising event on the 8th of November. We invite the entire community to share in some exciting opportunities to learn about healthy living through good foods and sustainable lifestyles friendly to you and the environment.


Click Link for more info

Friday, 31 October 2008

Food for the Future Fair Review - October 11th, 2008

We went to this after 10:00am on Saturday a couple of weeks ago. There was immediately a sense of great community involvement in the event and, I assume from the crowd many others came from outside the area on the day. Fresh food stalls and bakery featured, street planting, educative stalls, wine tasting.

There was entertainment on the stage, when we were there, there was the official opening, then a great little production from some of the local children.

There was raffles of produce and a gold coin donation got you a very nice program which talks about what is Food for the Future, local residents and what they are doing, some nice little recipes from www.missionbar.com.au and www.ontheside.com.au , a seasonality chart, article on fruit trees and much more.

If this event is on next year, I think we will definately trundle along again.

Saturday, 15 December 2007

2007 Festive Update #1 - Bokashi Composting Australia

Hi Composters

If you haven't seen these videos already, then take a look.

http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=billjackjane

Please note we will be closing down for 2 weeks over Christmas the last day that orders will be dispatched, prior to Christmas is Friday 22 December 2007. We will be back in the office and dispatch orders again on Friday 4 January 2008.

Have a safe and happy Christmas.

The Bokashi Composting Australia Team