Our Compost Project

Week 8 
This week we potted up the seedlings into our stryfoam boxes. These boxes were lined with newspaper to stop the soil running through the drainage holes.  We chose to put poor quality potting mix at the bottom of the box and the better quality mix at the top where the roots will be.We included a teaspoon of slow release fertiliser with each seedling. Next week,the compost will be ready too and it will be used to enrich our soil for our garden beds.




After compost

Before compost











Week 7

Our composting project is  about to conclude and I have been very pleased with the support  the project has received from our Portfolio Manager and students and staff, both lecturing and non lecturing and as a result we have achieved some positive outcomes.

This semester we started with a pile of sand and in a few weeks we have create sweet smelling compost!  The response from staff and students has been fantastic and we have happily shown our compost to them and have spoken proudly about its sweet aroma and the number of worms we have in our bin! Staff and students have also been motivated to put some of their new knowledge into refining their sustainable practices off campus.

Sustainable practices will be incorporated into ACS delivery next year which will see the delivery of  an Australian Environment  module where students will  investigate an environmental issue of local importance and then they will implement an action plan.


Week 6
This week we  visited a garden nursery so we could preview and select our seedlings. Please view the slide show on the right and the one below.


Week 4-5
For the past couple of weeks we have been practising for CSWE 2: FLO2: Give a set of five instructions in correct sequence, Respond to requests for repetition and/or clarification as required, Structure imperatives clauses correctly using appropriate action verbs, Use different verbs, Use temporal markers, Use appropriate vocabulary and Pronouncing key words and utterances with sufficient sound clarity.

How to Use a Compost Bin
1. Firstly, find a place that is shady and that has good drainage and then dig a small trench, about 10cm deep to put the bin in.
2. Next, add a layer of small twigs and dry leaves.
3. Then, add old compost or an activator (blood and bone)
4. After that, add a little water and then brown and green layers of material
5. Then, aerate the compost and keep doing this at least once a week.
6. Finally, remember to check the compost regularly to see that it is still active and keep adding brown(dry) and green (wet) material, enough water and aerate.

This week we have also been painting our garden styrofoam boxes in preparation for potting up. Before that happens we will visit a garden nursery to choose our seedlings.


Week 3

Firstly, our teacher dictated instructions about how to use a compost bin and then we checked our spelling.

Then, we read the instructions together and then to each other.

After that, we showed each other how to use the paper shredder. We went downstairs and put on our gloves and dust masks before we checked the compost. The compost was too wet so we added some shredded paper, dry leaves and grasses.

Then, we mixed the dry materials into the compost with a 'compost mate'.

Finally we checked the compost again.

Week 2

Firstly, we checked the compost in the bin.

Then we added the food waste (scraps) to the bin.

Next, we added the blood and bone (activator)

After that, we aerated the compost and then we added some water because it was too dry.

Finally, we turned (aerated) the compost again

Week 1

Having visited the Tamala Park Waste Management Facility in September (see the slideshow below), I thought my students would be keen to put some sustainable practices into action. With support from the staff and students at Polytechnic West, our compost project is now underway!

Kitchen waste is collected daily from the canteen and the staff lunch room. The free, plastic, collection buckets have been supplied by the canteen and a food outlet at the local shopping centre. Some of these are used to store kitchen waste, shredded paper, dry leaves and the activator(fertiliser). The photos in this slideshow were taken using a mobile phone and then uploaded onto a computer so everyone could view them and talk about their experience.

In the coming term we will be learning about: who composts, what it is, why compost, different ways of composting, where do we get a bin, what to compost, what not to compost, managing your compost, what’s wrong with the compost and how to use the compost.