Semaphore Compost Networking

21/04/2026

Today is Earth Day and in two weeks time we celebrate International Composting Awareness Week Australia https://www.facebook.com/ICAWaustralia?__tn__=-UC*F
Great chance to promote all earthly activities we are undertaking that week. Our National Community Composting Group (LOCCAL) can also promote any events that week - could be your regular garden / compost days - can be added here https://www.loccal.org.au/events/
Then at the end of the week, join our Community Composters Convergence! – Celebrating International Compost Awareness Week on Sunday, May 10 (7pm AEST) - https://events.humanitix.com/international-compost-awareness-week-community-composter-s-convergence-2026

Celebrate International Compost Week! Online convergence featuring guest speakers, networking & community composting across Australia

06/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HAhrDvTVH/

02/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CoAtjSfLm/

21/01/2026

Coolseat is settling in well as street furniture that includes a garden and compost system outside the Port Environment Centre Sponsored by community members and local businesses including The Banksia Tree Cafe and Restaurant around the corner.
Noting the arrival of some ants last week. The treatment of adding water resolved the issue. A few days later no sign of ants.

11/01/2026

Seems like the Semaphore Compost Network had a repeat of our ABC Gardening coverage over the break - and explains some extra composters joining our pages. Also some Qs about why there are two pages including Semaphore Compost Network and this page Semaphore Compost Networking
Actually we started the Networking page after the original ABC program - as an outward looking group open to anyone without needing to join.
If you missed the ABC Gardening program both times - it takes less than 5 mins to view.
Café to Compost: What happens to coffee grounds & food waste in a cafe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojqF4qZwSr4 [ABC Gardening Australia, 22/10/21]

For local folks we still hold a monthly face to face meeting and meal- on the last Thursday of the month - currently at Largs Pier Hotel - watch out for posts.
At our last meeting we wanted to support the group Composting with Neighbours: Peels (a follow up to the national Sharewaste initiative that faltered couple of years ago) - https://www.peels.app/ The new platform has been established to help those would be happy to have scraps delivered to their door by a household nearby unable to have their own compost system. Its getting going in every state and be great to see taken up again in SA - just takes one or two people to get this initiative started. Its another avenue to turn waste into good soil and local food production. See the current map and opportunities to join.

And if wanting to learn from other communities in cities and towns elsewhere - check out Loccal (Local Community Compost Alliance - Australia) on Facebook or website at - https://loccal.org/
Membership is still free if wanting updates. We can also promote our regular events, in the monthly newsletter - eg The LOCCAL Loop Newsletter: January 2026. See web page.
And finally LOCCAL are also compiling a nationwide map of community composts - wherever more than one person / household if helping to compost and would welcome recognition - see https://loccal.org/map/
Composting helps bring us together - closer to the earth we share - closer to each other.
Tim

Find a home for your food scraps, wherever you are.

20/10/2025

For those especially interested in how communities can compost together, the online event this Thursday evening is open to all - its a National Compost Convergence showcasing regional and inner city communities showing us what is possible - plus a short AGM. Nothing to lose - the earth to gain. See & Register here -

This interactive event will bring together community composters from across Australia to share ideas, celebrate wins and connect with each other. Hear from our inspiring guest speakers – YIMB…

20/10/2025

Our Environment Centre supports all efforts to conserve resources / reduce waste / foster a circular economy - and of course community composting - good for soil, people and planet, land and seas.
If in town this week head to the Port, learn about the great work of the Centre - and of the mammals that share their waterways and trust we can keep these waters healthy. Learn more with help of Dr Mike Bossley. Stay for a feed and learn about AGMs.

The Port Environment Centre AGM is coming up on Thursday October 23rd and your're invited!

Join us for a great night at Milledge's Distillation to celebrate another successful year for the Centre and spend time connecting with community. We are thrilled to have the fabulous Dr Mike Bossley as our guest speaker for the night.

Come along and show your support. RSVP via Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/port-environment-centre-agm-2025

05/07/2025

We field so many questions here about how to compost. This is a great chance to learn first hand from the famous Dr Ernie Harbott - Biogeochemist - Radical Composter - founder of Soil Sisters Singleton and helped establish the national group - LOCCAL (Local Community Compost Alliance - Australia).

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1PaBzs4fVV/

🌱 FREE Online Composting Workshop – 10 July, 6:30pm 🌱

Meet Ernie, a PhD-qualified biogeochemist turned passionate composter and soil ecologist. From starting a community garden in Singleton to becoming a Master Composter and Certified Soil Foodweb Microscopist, Ernie lives and breathes compost. 🪱

Join her for an inspiring, info-packed session where you'll discover:
🔍 What’s really going on inside your compost heap
🌿 Why homemade compost is gold for your garden
👩‍🌾 How to compost as a community
🥕 Why better compost means tastier, more nutritious food

Perfect for:
✅ Beginners ready to start composting
✅ Gardeners wanting to up their compost game
✅ Anyone growing organic food at home

🗓️ July 10 @ 6:30pm

This FREE workshop is part of the Grow it Local monthly series – designed to educate, inspire and empower Aussies to grow, share, and eat locally-grown food. 🌏🥕🌽

👉 You'll need to register and become a FREE Grow It Local member first: growitlocal.com/join-membership
👉 Once registered - join the session via: https://growitlocal.com/event/radical-composting

Brought to you by Grow it Local in collaboration with City of Onkaparinga and Green Adelaide.

13/06/2025

Do you want to help sponsor a Cool Seat in a prominent part of our City?
Yes its a simple public bench that includes a large worm farm / compost bin, integrated into a wicking bed – with a hardwood slatted seat from which to enjoy the world passing by. https://www.coolseats.com.au/
A little extra help is now needed after we withdrew an application to meet half the cost thru our Council’s Green Business Incentive Scheme, after realising we couldn’t meet all the criteria.
We need another $343 of pledges / donations to purchase & transport one seat Victoria. Total cost to see the first Coolseat in use in our City, indeed in state, is $1323. Big thanks to everyone who have already pledged or donated.
The Coolseats have been designed by the Sustainability Guy Michael Mobbs from Chippendale, and related to the also famous Subpod, now based in US. See https://www.hayimdevries.com/subpod
The Coolseats are made in Victoria by Mr Fox In A Box .
We aim to install the seat in front of the Port Environment Centre, https://portenvironmentcentre.org.au/ with the Centre’s support, and help of our compost partner, The Banksia Tree Restaurant & Cafe - https://www.thebanksiatree.com/
We had hoped to get half cost sponsored by our local government under a Green Business Incentive Scheme, however we couldn’t meet all the criteria.
Our Compost Network and the Environment Centre will help maintain and evaluate the performance of the Seat, and report upon the potential for similar amenities wherever people gather.
Thank you for reading this far. Pledges can be directed to [email protected]. Once we have enough pledges / donations we will provide a BSB Account to transfer funds, or monies can be delivered / receipted via the Port Environment Centre. Interest and encouragement, or any comments here, always most welcomed.

01/06/2025

Apparently SA will ban Fruit Stickers later this year - but there will be a 3 year changeover, and opt outs if stickers are 'compostable'. It is a National Issue - and just one campaign to make our food recovery / composting a little easier, supported by the Local Community Compost Alliance (Australia).
We can all follow and support the campaign - share the hashtag - its a new trick - It’s time to

Our network of composters is rolling out the campaign on social media, and our hope is that this will snowball to demonstrate how many stakeholders are tired of trying to deal…