Residents do their bit for environment with initiative

FOOD waste at an apartment complex will go into a composter after residents banded together to pursue the initiative, reports Maurice Garvey.

Floraville residents in lower Ballyfermot wanted to do their bit for the environment – their resolution this year was about making their own garden composter.

Eimear Gallagher from the Floraville residents group got in touch with Cllr Sophie Nicoullaud (GP) to set up the project with the assistance of the Ballyfermot Dublin City Council office.

They received their composter last December. PACE Organisation built it using all-natural cedar wood which is naturally resistant to fungi and insects.

The design is a copy of municipal food composters used on the continent.

The residents had their first workshop in early January with Craig Benton, well-known throughout Ireland as Dr Composter.

For the next two years Craig will monitor the pilot project and organise workshops to familiarise users with best practice methods to compost food themselves.

“The cherry on the cake is we have the Dr Composter of Ireland with us to monitor the pilot and to work along with the composter users. This project is on a solid start, couldn’t have hoped for better,” said Cllr Nicoullaud.

More than just a solution to dispose of food waste, this is a community scheme that gets neighbours to gather outside and unite around a climate action at the micro level with direct benefits for them and the entire planet at the same time.

On Saturday, Floraville residents officially launched their community food composter pilot project.