Worm pee & worm poo at the Convention Centre!

We had an interesting visit to the Adelaide Convention Centre last week. Twelve of us were shown around the kitchens by two senior staff who were enthusiastic about the greening of the Convention Centre. They aim for Zero Waste in all areas including food waste. In the kitchen when plates return from the tables the waste is scraped into one of two bins – suitable for worms, or not suitable including onion, citrus and bones.

Outside we saw the huge worm farm which is well looked after and from which worm poo and worm pee is used on the gardens but also bottled attractively for visitors like us! The biobin is taken to Peats Soils once every 6 weeks or so and converted into compost. This process saves money as previously all food waste went into skips that had to be collected once a week and the Convention Centre paid for it. Food that is not used in the dining room is prepared for soups or packaged for the Food Bank where it is distributed to people in need of assistance.

The two men who showed us around are proud of their staff who have all been trained in the methods of achieving zero waste and especially when a staff member politely tells a member of an environmental conference into which bin to put their rubbish. Moreover conferences are encouraged to use resources that can be reused or recycled whether crockery and cutlery, paper or information bags. They have won many awards, including several international ones. Thank you and congratulations Adelaide Convention Centre.