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"Don't worry about talking to your plants, make sure they are well fed" is the message from Least waste, the Eastern Regional Waste Management Group and Yarra Valley Water, who have launched the second stage of Mulch 2000 - From Rubbish to Roses.
Your garden could eat around 50% of the rubbish you throw out from your household and provide a better environment for growing your plants.
Yarra Valley Water with Least waste and its member councils, the Cities of Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges are promoting the sensible use of water on Gardens. 36% of all household water is used on the garden. Mulching has the capacity to save 73% of evaporation.
With a forecast hot summer coming up and Melbourne experiencing its third drier than normal year, Melbourne's water storages are only at around 61% capacity. Since the beginning of the awareness campaign a month ago over three thousand gardeners in the region have taken advantage of the Yarra Valley Water special Mulch offer.
Releasing the second stage of Mulch 2000 - From Rubbish to Roses Cr. Bob Beynon, Chairman of Least waste, and Mr Peter Harford, Managing Director of Yarra Valley Water in a joint statement said, "Composting and mulching are a vital part of implementing sensible, cost saving and environmental gardening practices."
"Education is a key element in water conservation and the release of a special poster featuring a plate of normal food scraps set out on a table with a shovel and garden fork replacing the normal cutlery, is designed to promote composting and feeding gardens with compost."
The poster will be released to all Least waste member councils for display in areas such as schools, preschools, libraries, garden suppliers, education centres and community centres.
"We hope to have hundreds of these posters throughout the Eastern Region which covers the Cities of Manningham, Whitehorse, Maroondah, Knox, and Yarra Ranges Shire."
The release of the poster was also accompanied by the launch of the cross section of a Compost Bin and Worm Farm model to be used for educational demonstrations in schools and other community areas. Yarra Ranges Shire staff prepared the concept for the model and models have been produced by the Gould League for local councils.
Chairman of Least waste, Cr. Bob Beynon said, "Australians throw out 14 million tonnes of rubbish each year, with half of the household garbage being made up of food and garden waste. The majority is able to be mulched or composted."
"When you consider the amount of waste produced in the Melbourne and metropolitan area, which will fill the MCG every twelve and a half weeks, can be halved by composting and mulching, hungry gardens can play a major environmental role in cutting waste."
Media Enquiries:
Cr. Bob Beynon, Chairman, Least waste (03) 98744633
Mr Peter Harford, Managing Director, Yarra Valley Water (03) 98721301
Ron Smith Corporate Media Communications (03) 98185700
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