Our Daffodil bulbs have pushed their way up, announcing late winter in our garden. They are such a delicate flower, yet with consistent persistence, they push aside our white pebbles and stretch out to the sunshine.

For our family their arrival means the start of our birthday festivals with a number of birthdays clustered together. It’s always exciting when the daffodils appear, however excitement increases as the milk bottle expiry dates hit our birthday dates! A strange family tradition.

It’s the colder season when we are best at minimising our food waste. Each week, any left-over vegetables end up in a weekly soup, which is perfect for workday lunches.

My favourite is pumpkin soup however I do tend to cook it with a little spice.

I always cook my garlic and onion in a spoonful of green curry paste first, and then add a potato, pumpkin, and a few carrots, plus any other left-over veggies in the fridge. I then add water t cover and simply boil, and then blend. The hint of green curry really gives the soup such a lovely warmth.

If I’m entertaining, I’ll tweak it a little. I add vegetable stock instead of water for a richer flavour, a teaspoon of fish sauce rather than salt, and half a tin of good quality coconut milk. I use the remaining coconut milk on top as a garnish with coriander. It’s delicious, easy, economical, and the perfect dish to hide those extra winter veggies which need to be used such as potatoes, carrot, cauliflower, parsnip, and onions. It’s also ideal to freeze which makes it a great ‘fast food’ lunch to grab for work when I’m unorganised.

Whilst it’s the time of year to stay cosy at home, there is a lot happening in the recycling industry, which is keeping our little team very busy, particularly in Australia’s two largest states.

FOGO is expanding across Australia, providing households with the ability to place Food Organics with their Garden Organics so they can be diverted from Landfill, and instead composted. When our food waste is composted, not only are the nutrients returned to the soil in community spaces for future farming, but greenhouse gas emissions are also reduced.

In Victoria, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) has drafted a new standardised four-stream household waste and recycling system. Whilst it has taken a few years to draft, there seems to have been very limited community and local council engagement, which is disappointing. We believe one of the more alarming proposals is the removal or replacement of compostable bag with paper bags. A simple review of active community FOGO Programs provides compelling evidence that Compostable Bags significantly increase participation in FOGO by making programs more convenient. We need FOGO participation in Australia to help us limit global warming.

Alternatively, shifting from a product which is made predominantly of corn, a crop which renews with each season, to instead paper, for which mature trees need to be lopped seems crazy. The environment credentials just don’t stack up in comparison, not to mention the inconvenience of soggy paper at the bottom of a caddy.

There are a number of changes proposed in this new legislation. If you are in Victoria, you can read more about the proposal here or contact the department directly to provide your feedback here.

In NSW, the news is more positive. FOGO is expanding rapidly within the city and metro areas as the development of several new commercial composting facilities are finalised. It’s an exciting time for our team with a very busy schedule of FOGO Distribution Programs scheduled for local councils across Sydney over the next twelve months. If you are in NSW and not yet able to participate in FOGO, reach out to your local council for more information about your communities’ participation.

The industry is certainly progressing, however let’s hope it moves in a direction where community engagement, participation and the environment is prioritised. Afterall, it’s the community which makes the difference as we strive for a more sustainable future.

Mel

 

P.S. It’s almost International Dog Day, so if you are looking for a gift for your best friend, our Compost-A-Pak Dog Bags are perfect for walks as the days start to warm.