Composting
The full story​
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We've been made aware of some community misunderstanding about the way we dispose of the sacks full of weeds that pile up after our working bees.
Our usual practice, for many years, has been to take the bags, in a ute or trailer, to our island transfer station. Weeds can't be left in the vegetation area, where wind and weather might scatter them, so they go in the general rubbish dumpster which is then hauled off-island on a large truck.
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This disposal routine adds to volunteer hours, and to Bushcare's carbon footprint. It involves utes, dumpster trucks, the barge, mainland haulage and landfill machinery. All that, just to dispose of a few sacks of weeds, seems inappropriate for an organisation dedicated to preserving the natural environment.
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Last year, Coochiemudlo Bushcare began an experiment in solarised composting - covering weed piles with black plastic to generate enough heat to kill the enclosed weeds, and any seeds. The picture below shows the result, after six months, when we uncovered a big pile of Mother-of-Millions Bryophyllum deleagoense (insert, right).
All that was recognisable when we uncovered the mound were the dried out stalks of the weeds. The rest had broken down, and mixed with the soil that had been attached to the weed roots, to create a soft dry tilth. It was now compost.
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When last month's mini-drought occurred - the driest February on local records - we wondered if the weed compost might revive some seedlings that were suffering badly. The Wollastonia uniflora (left insert, below), planted in January, was only being kept alive with regular watering. We couldn't keep it up indefinitely.
We removed its worst leaves, and straightened the plant up in a deep bed of the compost, which was then watered in. Just four days later (main image) it was already recovering. It survived the March cyclone, and after its drought breaking rain, most of the 90 plants put in on January 18th now look healthy and happy.
We think the compost, created entirely from sunshine, and from weeds pulled within a few metres of the mound, played an important part in that survival. It gave the plants resilience against strong winds, and increased water retention in the surrounding soil. As a bonus, Bushcare's weed disposal no longer contributes to the island's carbon footprint. Every little bit helps.
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We do understand that some feel the black plastic mounds are a bit of an eyesore, and we are open to any suggestions that might reduce that reaction. We will try to locate them in less conspicuous areas. As the weed load on our blocks diminishes, the compost heads should become smaller, and fewer.
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If you'd like to talk more about our composting, or any other Bushcare topic, you're very welcome to come to our next working bee and take a look around, and a walk around, the sites we maintain. Send us an email or phone 0490050208 to tee up a visit on the next date and time we're on the tools.