People who attended a workshop in Mġarr on Sunday were urged to turn their food scraps into compost, which in turn nurtures the very food that eventually ends up on their tables.

The workshop was held as part of the second edition of what the organisers believe is the world’s only compost festival.

The festival was held at Vincent’s Eco Farm, where apart from talks on composting, sustainability and permaculture, visitors were also treated to live music, including Australia’s Formidable Vegetable Sound System.

Since it was a zero-waste festival, people were encouraged to either bring their own cups and plates with them or rent cutlery and crockery against a deposit.

Those visiting the compost festival were also treated to live music.Those visiting the compost festival were also treated to live music.

All the disposable food utensils used at the event were made of compostable material to ensure there would be no waste throughout the day.

This is the second festival of the sort in Malta, after the NGO Why Not? held Europe’s first compost festival in 2014 as part of an EU-funded compost awareness campaign.

The first festival, held as part of the Garbage to Gardens campaign, was followed by several workshops throughout the year, culminating into a documentary on composting in Malta.

This year, the organisers targeted an audience of more than 300 people, with an overall reach of 2,000 through marketing and social media.

“We want to encourage as many people as possible to start composting at home or to start separating their own waste and using Wasteserv’s new collection service project.

“We also want to raise awareness about regenerative agriculture through composting, because we produce a lot of waste. Composting not only reduces our waste but also contributes to nourishing our food – it’s a sustainable cycle,” Alexandra Cachia explained to this newspaper yesterday.

Composting at home

• To produce good compost, you need a balance of nitrogen (vegetable scraps) and cardboard (carbons).

• It is important to maintain a balance of greens and browns to neutralise bad smells.

• Discard waste in a compost bin, which can be purchased commercially or built at home.

• The breakdown into compost depends on various factors such as heat and aeration. It usually takes between three to six months.

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