Community Dog Poo Organic Recycling – Phase 2
Council has innovatively begun the implementation of Phase 2 of the dog poo bins at Council off-leash fenced dog parks. Phase 1 demonstrated that it is possible to digest dog poo in worm farms for an extended period.
The Phase 1 bins trial has highlighted that the community is interested in engaging in organics recycling initiatives and that there is support by dog owners to responsibly dispose of dog poo in an alternative bin as opposed to a regular litter bin. Phase 1 presented some challenges that have been addressed in Phase 2 of the trial, including using a larger rotational system of bins that allow the worms more space and time to eat and digest the dog poo, preventing the likelihood of the bin filling up too quickly as a result of the food supply exceeding their ability to eat the material quickly enough.
The scale and accessibility of Phase 2 incorporating a garden component, can help visitors and the Bayside community see beyond the disposal of dog poo as a nuisance waste in a traditional litter bin and highlight the benefits of worm farming and composting that they could adopt in their own households to improve their garden health and reduce their waste generation.
Bayside Council is currently embarking on a multimillion-dollar journey in relation to organics recovery from domestic and commercial kerbside waste. This program forms part of Council’s long term Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy to recover as much material from all waste streams (inclusive of organics), using existing, custom and/or emerging solutions and technologies.
In October 2021, Bayside Council applied for a $1.3 million NSW EPA Organics Collection grant in order to harmonise services across the entire local government area and continue its journey to provide best practice organics collection and recovery solutions to our community.
