Many Australians are passionate about gardening and it’s not difficult to see why. We are blessed with some of the world’s most amazing native plant life and given our low population, we are lucky enough to be able to keep quiet large gardens.
Gardening tips are a dime a dozen and there’s lots of advice out there on how to get your garden looking magnificent. Part of this is dealing with organic or green waste. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at ways it can best be reduced, recycled and reused, as well as other helpful gardening tips that help out the environment too.
Gardening tips are a dime a dozen and there’s lots of advice out there on how to get your garden looking magnificent. Part of this is dealing with organic or green waste. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at ways it can best be reduced, recycled and reused, as well as other helpful gardening tips that help out the environment too.
1. Be aware of the negative aspects of organic waste
You might not be aware just how damaging it can be to the environment when organic waste is thrown into a landfill. More than 50% of this is an everyday home waste like the garden waste, food scraps and the like. Research suggests that it creates ‘landfill gas’ when put in the ground, a dangerous concoction that is 55% methane and contributes to the greenhouse effect. While some of this gas is collected and used by landfill operators, the majority is not.
As homeowners, it is worth taking steps to finding other ways of dealing with this waste.
2. Make an effort to compost
For avid gardeners, composting is a no brainer. Even if you have a small garden or a few plants, it’s still well worth it. All it takes is an effort on your part to collect food scraps and garden waste together, add some soil and keep it moist. The upside of composting is that within a few weeks you have yourself a nutrient-rich soil that essentially acts as a fertiliser and can help you grow plants in your garden.
But given the above, taking the time to collect your organic waste and turn it into compost provides a benefit to more than just your garden. Disposing of it in this way means it does not end up in a landfill, so it’s a win-win!
3. Deal with weeds appropriately
Weeds are the bane of the gardener’s existence; they spread very quickly and are, in most cases, unsightly. It is estimated that de-weeding activities cost the Australia agriculture industry around $1.5 billion yearly.
But they have a negative impact on the environment too. Weeds compete with many forms of plant-life, threatening their survival considerably. They take up the space, sunlight and nutrients in the soil that would be used by other plants, reducing the natural diversity that makes Australian flora so wonderful.
So if you come across a weed in your garden, take the time to remove it, have it sit in the sun to dry out and mulch it if possible.
Read more: Key features of eco-friendly homes at Neutrino Burst blog.
4. Avoid dumping
When it comes to other forms of waste, it is basic common sense that dumping is not the done thing. With organic waste, however, it doesn’t seem a big deal to go through the odd bunch of garden scraps on the lawn.
In actual fact, this is one of the ways weeds are spread and start growing in bushlands and even urban areas - generally, they have escaped from gardens just like yours. Avoid doing so if you can and always dispose of this waste responsibly.
5. Take time to maintain
Weeds will naturally thrive if you don’t make the effort to stomp them out, but once your weed-free you still have work to do. You need to keep an eye on weeded areas and apply dense mulch around the garden as much as you can.
If you’re planning on shaping up the garden this summer, keep these tips handy and consider hiring a skip bin if the waste is too much to deal with! Metropolitan Bin Hire always dispose of garden waste responsibly and with the best interests of the environment in mind.
