Composters of the Inner West

To celebrate International Composting Awareness Week 2021 we asked our Inner West composters to send us a selfie and their top tip.

Composting and worm farming is a simple way to reduce your waste and improve your soil. Council offers advice and subsidies to assist all residents to become Composters of the Inner West.

Composters of the Inner West 2021

Meet some of our Inner West composters! Click on the images and read their tips for keeping your compost and worm farm thriving. You can also read their tips below.

Anastasia from Annandale

Bruce from Dulwich Hill

Catherine from Summer Hill

Eleanor from Marrickville

Jiri from Newtown

Kate from Dulwich Hill

Lan Liu from Summer Hill

Maya from Marrickville (Cooper the dog pictured)

Michelle from Dulwich Hill

Mike and Katy from Ashfield

Milvia from Marrickville

Mo Mo and Mila from Stanmore

Nicki from Lilyfield

Nicole from Ashfield

Patricia from Enmore

Robert and Alice the cat from Dulwich Hill

Stephanie from Dulwich Hill

Composting and worm farming tips

Anastasia from Annandale: Worms like having their food put in a top tray and living/digesting in the bottom tray> They're always moving back and forth! Their behaviour really baffled me until I sorted this bit out, and now we're all on the same page. I'm about to do my first tray rotation soon as my bottom tray is nearly full!
Bruce from Dulwich Hill: Cut up some PVC piping to make some "eaves" around the top lid, to stop heavy rain coming in, especially when using multiple trays
Catherine from Summer Hill: Worms really dislike temperatures of 30 degrees or more (and try a mass break-out). So I have a couple of margarine containers of water (frozen) in the freezer, ready to pop one into the worm farm on a very hot day.
Eleanor from Marrickville: Don't feed the worms too much food. If they get smelly or too wet add some dry grass or dry soil. Stir the fresh scraps through the worms with a small trowel so they eat them easily.
Jiri from Newtown: What may look like maggots are more likely the black soldier fly larvae which are not bad for your worm farm. Don’t try to get rid of them as they help to decompose the food scraps.
Kate from Dulwich Hill: Take the time to properly rodent proof your compost. A sturdy bin set on pavers and secured with pegs or bricks works really well.
Lan Liu from Summer Hill: Compost everything you can! It is surprising what you can compost!
Maya from Marrickville (Cooper the dog pictured): Learn to love fly larvae, they may not look beautiful but are very hard workers!
Michelle from Dulwich Hill: Practise patience when first starting out so as not to overfeed your lovely worms. The Inner West council’s food recycling program is great for all the food you can’t feed your worms - like meat and dairy, and I also love the ShareWaste app which gives me access to local residents who allow contribution to their compost bins for excess scraps, citrus and onions.
Mike and Katy from Ashfield: Use a small container in the kitchen and give the compost a quick stir as you empty the container.
Mo Mo and Mila from Stanmore: If you have a sensitive nose like I do, wear a face mask when your turning the compost! And always do it with a friend who has muscles.
Nicole from Ashfield: 1:1 ratio of compost and dry garden waste.
Nicki from Lilyfield: Buying the swivel stick turner allows easy compost mixing/aerating and using a great mix of every veggie/fruit scrap including citrus, onions etc with a good balance of dried leaves and paper.
Patricia from Enmore: Attend a workshop before you start. I had no idea what a healthy worm farm looked like. Also don’t over feed it and keep it cool over summer.
Robert and Alice the cat from Dulwich Hill: Keep in a shady spot. The farm also doubles up nicely as an outdoor cat perch.
Stephanie from Dulwich Hill: Add ripped up egg carton when compost is too wet.

2020 Composters of the Inner West

Kate, composter, Dulwich Hill

Monique, composter, Rozelle

Stephen, worm farmer, Dulwich Hill

Katrina, composter, Dulwich Hill

2019 Composters of the Inner West

In 2019 we went out to meet some Inner West residents who use composting and worm farming to reduce food waste, produce rich fertiliser and connect with nature. Composting and worm farming comes in many shapes and sizes in the Inner West.