Community News

dirtgirlworld team to rock the world of compost in 2016

cvi
L-R: Chris Gulaptis, Cate McQuillen, Suzanne Lynch & Richie Williamson.
  The Clarence-Valley’s own home grown environmental waste campaigner dirtgirl has been awarded a $303,000 NSW Government grant for a new project designed to motivate more families in NSW to ‘get grubby’ outside with recycled organics diverted from landfill. Welcoming the announcement just prior to Christmas in Grafton, Clarence MP, Chris Gulaptis joined with dirtgirlworld co-creator, Cate McQuillen, Clarence Valley Mayor, Richie Williamson and Council’s Environmental Education Officer, Suzanne Lynch to promote the project and encourage more people to do their bit to reduce waste. Mr Gulaptis said the project will involve the establishment of a Compost Academy to encourage the householder to find multiple uses for compost. “The project includes the development of a tool kit for all local councils in NSW to distribute free through their environmental and sustainability education programs. “It will also create a new 12-month social media campaign starting led by dirtgirl and her ‘get grubby’ co-stars, scrapboy and Costa the garden gnome dirtgirlworld co-creator, Cate McQuillen said it was a ‘mission compostable’ on a grand scale. “Compost Rocks! will lead this uber-grubby generation of planet-loving preschoolers and their families to love compost and learn all about why it’s so important. “We’re aiming to show everyone how to turn their spoils into soils and we want everyone in our community to fall in love with compost, which is created from diverting organic waste from landfill, and use it to feed our gardens.” The new Compost Academy website will provide interactive, step-by-step resources for parents and families to support their own composting, worm farming and gardening. It will be a ‘compository’ of all things decomposable and its uses – from repotting balcony plants to growing food on the nature strip. Compost Rocks! will also create a new tool kit for all NSW councils, providing educational and promotional resources about compost for their educational programs, to help spread the compost story around, encouraging new shoots and growth in our local communities. This project is supported by the NSW EPA as part of Waste Less, Recycle More, funded from the waste levy.