International Composting Awareness Weeks (ICAW): 2007
Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) was involved in International Composting Awareness Week (ICAW) for the first time in 2007. As Diamond sponsors, DEC initiated events and activities to promote the week, which was also the first time the event was celebrated in Western Australia.
See images from the 2007 ICAW event
Activities organised by Department of Environment and Conservation for ICAW included:
The state launch of International Composting Awareness Week:
An official state launch was organised to launch the beginning of ICAW in Western Australia. The launch took place at City Farm in East Perth on Saturday 5th May 2007. The chairperson of the Waste Management Board and, gardening celebrity, Josh Byrne were the keynote speakers at the event. Andy Gulliver from Composting Australia was the Master of Ceremonies.
A calendar of events was promoted during this event and the 'Win a Year's Worth of Compost" competition was also announced, which started with organic apple giveaways, donated by High Vale Orchards.
Online calendar of events To promote and celebrate International Composting Awareness Week in Western Australia, Department of Environment and Conservation's Waste management branch developed a calendar of events to promote composting and recycled organics.
Events and activities listed in the calendar included:
- Worm farming demonstrations
- Compost displays in local government offices
- Home composting, worm farm and bokashi workshops
- Composting facility tours
- Organic growers market tours, and
- ‘Great Gardens’ workshops
Competition Department of Environment and Conservation also organised a competition to help raise awareness in composting and recycled organics. Prizes included twelve months worth of free compost donated by Custom Composts, a worm farm starter kit donated by RELN and set up by The Worm Shed, and a compost tumbler donated by Department of Environment and Conservation .
The competition involved the handing out of 1000 organically grown apples (donated by High Vale Orchards) to attendees at the launch of ICAW and to Monday morning commuters in the city. People entered the competition by filling in their details on the tags given out with the apples and dropping them in the competition barrel at the composting demonstrations held in the Murray Street mall or by registering their details on the Zero Waste website.
Composting demonstrations held in the Murray Street mall
- Composting demonstrations by City Farm
- Worm farming demonstrations by The Worm Shed
For large images of the 2007 International Composting Awareness Week please click on the thumbnails.
