Compost made from recycled organics is a great new resource that is safe to use and offers vegetable producers a cost-effective way to improve soil health, and boost profits.

The compost is made from kerbside organic materials such as garden organics, grass clippings, leaves and tree prunings. It does not include manures or biosolids.  

The organic materials are shredded, screened to remove any contaminants and then composted. The resulting compost is high in plant nutrients and beneficial bacteria, and the organic matter at 60% is higher than conventional compost at around 45–50%.

On-farm demonstration sites show the benefits of applying compost made from recycled organics to vegetable cropping soils in NSW. Vegetable growers with an intensive cropping schedule find the compost helps to replace nutrients in their soil, increases the soil’s organic matter and encourages water retention.

For more information have a look at these fact sheets and videos:

Fact sheets

Recycled organics for vegetable growers

Recycled organics on a Sydney spinach farm - case study

Drought tolerance benefits of using compost made from recycled organics

Economics of composted recycled organics in vegetable production organics

Videos

For growers’ and researchers’ perspective on the use of compost made from recycled organics, click on the links watch these videos produced by Applied Horticultural Research:

A grower’s perspective –  Diego Barreto from Wavertree Farms

A grower’s perspective – James Fagan from Mulyan Farms

Why and how to use recycled organics in vegetable farming with Kelvin Montagu

The economics of using recycled organics in vegetable production with Liam Southam-Rogers

This project was supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority as part of Waste Less, Recycle More, funded from the waste levy.