Black gold to our keen gardeners and veggie growers, Dubbo Regional Council is currently giving it away free!

This month ratepayers and residents have the opportunity to access beautiful loamy compost at no charge, from both the Whylandra Waste and Recycling Facility in Dubbo, and at the Wellington Waste Transfer Station.

The compost giveaway is for domestic use only, however, with each household entitled to take the equivalent of one cubic metre of the good stuff.

Residents must also load the compost themselves into a trailer, ute or bags, though council will provide a shovel at the location for loading.

“The residential compost giveaway last year was very popular, with over 320 tonnes collected by residents,” Resource Recovery and Efficiency Manager Jamie Lobb said.

“The giveaway was in direct response to the community requesting access to the compost product,” he added.

The compost is created from the contents of household green-lid food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bins with the material then processed on-site at the Whylandra tip.

“We have responded to feedback from last year’s giveaway and extended the giveaway to also be available from the Wellington Waste Transfer Station,” Mr Lobb said. “This allows greater accessibility to the compost during the giveaway period.”

Good quality compost starts at home, he revealed, by putting eligible food organics and garden organics in the green-lid bin and keeping it free of unacceptable items that could cause contamination. Only food scraps (in a compostable bin liner), garden cuttings and grass clippings can go into the green-lid bin.

Compostable bin liners can be requested by contacting the council, in-person at the Customer Experience Centre at Dubbo or Wellington, or via the council website.