Worm farm for green waste

Ettalong school students have been involved in a environmental programs for a number of years now and all students are taught to " reduce, reuse and recycle" waste products.

All green waste is used in the worm farm, which was built by a year 3/6 student in 1998 with the help of Angus Campbell from Scrap.

Each morning white bins are distributed around the school near the eating areas.

Students in charge of the worm farm go around the classes, Kindergarten to Year 6, each year and tell them that the white bins are for food scraps.

"Scraps not wraps" is the message, according to Aaron Kennedy, a white bin helper, who says sometimes they need to remind students during the year.

Tyrone Backhouse explains that the bins are collected after lunch and, while wearing rubber gloves, sorted to make sure there are no plastic wraps.

The food scraps are then placed in a bin with water and allowed to soften overnight.

This "Food Scrap Soup" is then put into the worm farm.

Tyrone says that over a week the team collects an average of 20-25kg of food scraps.

The worm farming team consists of Aaron Kennedy, Tyrone, Ben Cain, Derek Barret, Ashley Gleeson, Wade Hayward and teacher, Mr King.

Bianca Bustamante explains a little more about worms and worm farms: "Worms will eat food scraps to make fertilizer (castings).

"Worms also eat paper or anything that was living.

"Worms like it dark. Worms like it moist.

"Worm farms usually do not smell.

"Worm farms are easy to operate.

"Worms are not earthworms but compost worms.

"Worms in our farm are red worms and tiger worms."

The Gardening Group is made up of Joshua Lau, Russell Southern, Tyrone Backhouse, Derek Barrett and Ben Cain.

The team builds gardens for the school, plant trees and shrubs and place mulch on existing gardens.

The school has its own mulch area and gardening is done every day.

According to the boys in the team, the work can be quite hard at times but they all enjoy seeing the good results.

"Liquid Fertilizer from Weeds" is another environmental activity using garden weeds to make something useful.

The school uses a black bin with a lid which is filled with weeds and water.

It is left for four to five weeks in the sun and the lid is lifted each week to give the mixture a stir. It smells but it is then able to be used on the school's own gardens.

Ettalong Public School has been recycling paper for a few years.

Nathan Crowson says students collect the bags containing scrap paper, from all the classrooms, staff room and duplicating room each week.

This term the school is using "wheelie" bins to store waste paper which is much easier than using bags.

Liz McMinn, August 10