Women’s Month: sustainable gardening serves community

ON August 9 in 1956, 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against apartheid legislation. This year’s commemoration of Women’s Month marks the 66th anniversary of the march. To honour those women and the women who represent our nation, today, Berea Mail will be honing in on extraordinary women from our own community to highlight their lives and the ways they challenge the odds and remain resilient in the face of hardship.

WHAT if food waste was turned into compost for an urban garden instead of rotting in landfill sites where it produces greenhouse gases?

Sarah Alsen, executive director of Bioregional South Africa, which leads on the One Planet Living initiative, is on a mission to do just this. She visits a men’s shelter on Sylvester Ntuli Road every week to help create compost for the vegetable garden on site. Alsen’s work began in November 2021 when she saw a way to grow the garden that had already begun to flourish.

Bioregional SA is an environmental NPO that promotes sustainability.

“We use a framework of ten principles of sustainability known as One Planet Living and have been supporting the homeless men’s food garden in downtown Durban for the last eight months by employing a permaculture mentor, Gabriel Mngoma, one day a week, to train those interested in growing food. We also support the food growers on site by finding access to markets,” said Alsen.

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What’s more, she is tackling an environmental issue at the same time by making use of food waste.

“The main innovation we have started at the garden is to ask the Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel for their food waste on a weekly basis. This is treated with Bokashi Bran, which is an activator to make the composting process faster. After a week, treated food waste is mixed with green/brown garden waste in trenches at the site to make a compost product that is mature after eight weeks. Every week, the hotel gives us 250 liters of food waste which is treated with Bokashi Bran,” said Alsen.

Alsen explained that food waste sent to landfills contributes to greenhouse gases and climate change.

“The beauty of this project is that we are not only creating compost but helping to lessen food waste. Food waste is a big issue in this country. Up to 40% of waste going to landfills is food which rots in the landfill and produces reenhouse gases. With the use of Bokashi Bran, the food waste does not rot, it ferments. There’s a 98% saving in greenhouse gases by composting and not sending food waste to the landfill,” she said.

By composting with Bokashi, it doesn’t create an odour or attract flies or vermin.

“Bokashi is like composting on steroids. It can treat dairy products, cooked food, and even meat bones,” said Alsen.

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This is ‘revolutionary’ in the hospitality industry as food waste can be used for compost without a need to sort it.

“We are hoping this project will be a precursor to a small enterprise, Sisonke Compost, whereby we create a network of urban compost sites around Durban and prevent more food waste going into the landfill. We hope to be a part of a green circular economy – an innovation for Durban that is so sorely needed at this time,” said Alsen.

Alsen is currently looking for seed funding to establish this company. She is also looking for new markets for the fresh organic vegetables harvested at the site. The public can visit the garden at its new Sylvester Ntuli Road. For more information, contact Alsen at sarah.alsen@bioregional.com or 084 497 1661.

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