Kitchen to Compost is a program operating in Mallacoota that collects food and garden waste, and composts it locally. Beginning in 2010 as a collaboration between Council, Gippsland Regional Waste Management Group, and the Mallacoota community, the program aims to reduce the amount of organic waste in landfills.

Kitchen to Compost offers numerous benefits for both residents and the environment.

• It reduces landfill waste. In East Gippsland, 44% of all waste sent to landfill is organic (according to Council's 2021 waste audit). When organic waste decomposes in landfills, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Recycling organics through composting or other methods helps mitigate these emissions and reduces the environmental impact.
• By removing organics from the waste stream, the strain on our landfill capacity is also reduced, and the life of the landfill is extended, which can lead to cost savings in the long term.
• An otherwise wasted resource is salvaged and turned into nutrient-rich compost. The average East Gippsland household generates about 7kg of compostable waste per week. That equates to more than 100kg of mature compost per year.
• This compost can be used to enrich soil in gardens and landscaping, improving soil structure, water retention, and nutrient content. Council uses the compost in parks and gardens, as well as in landfill rehabilitation.

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What can I put in Kitchen to Compost?

The organics bin will accept garden waste and lawn clippings like a normal green waste bin, but it will also accept any kitchen organic material.

The following is a guide to what may be put in the bin:

• Fruit and vegetable scraps
• Meat scraps and bones
• Fish and seafood (incl. shells)
• Dairy products
• Pasta and rice
• Bread and bread products
• Teabags and coffee grounds
• Tissues and paper towels
• Pet manures and compostable kitty litter
• Lawn clippings
• Garden prunings (including weeds and rose trimmings)
• Twigs and branches under 75mm in diameter
• Hair

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What can’t I put in the organics bin?

Synthetic products such as plastics, flowerpots, hoses, nappies and non-compostable plastic bags cannot go in the organics bin. Fragments of these products will eventually end up in the processed compost, resulting in spreading microplastics through the environment.

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How it works

Collect your food scraps in your caddy.

You don't have to use a liner, but if you'd like to, certified compostable liners are available at Mallacoota Service Centre, supermarkets and Bendigo Bank. It is important to use certified home compostable liners - plastic bin liners contaminate the end product. You can also use a piece of paper towel to line their kitchen caddy, or even folded newspaper.

Once your caddy is full, empty the contents into your green-lidded wheelie bin.

While you're out in the garden, perhaps doing some pruning ahead of fire season or just a general spruce up, you can pop your green waste directly into your green bin (excluding branches more than 75mm in diameter).

Your green-lidded wheelie bin is collected fortnightly from your kerbside, alternating with recycling.

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I’d like to request a green bin

You need to contact us to set up your new waste service for your property.

You can set up your service by filling in our Waste Service Request form or by contacting us by phone or in person. Details available here at Contact Us.

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I already compost. How can Kitchen to Compost help me?

If you are already composting, then you already know the benefits of having a compost pile or worm farm.

The organics bin will complement what you are already doing by taking those additional items that are hard to compost or that the worms don’t want to eat.

These items include:

• Meat, seafood and bones
• Citrus fruits
• Cooked foods, oils and fats
• Pet manures
• Diseased plants and weeds
• Excess lawn clippings and leaves

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