Administration Officer and an avid planter Apii Pakitoa attended a compost workshop on the 6th December, 2024 in Papaaroa.
The workshop was funded under the auspices of SPREP, under the PacWaste programme, which was supported the Ministry of Infrastructure Cook Islands, under the Waste Management Division.
The objective of the workshop is to look at ways to minimize waste going into the Landfill of Rarotonga, and also to look at ways to improve and encouraged farmers to use compost material or to grow their products organically using compost materials.
The number of people who attended the workshop were mainly, Organic Growers/Farmers – their Representatives, Ministry of Agriculture, National Environment Service, Te Ipukarea Society, and one Organic Grower from the Island of Mauke.
One thing was for sure for Apii – to learn from the experts and to look for new inventions through composting.
The presentation by Tim Purchase, focused on how to keep your compost active, and the type of rubbish you need to keep it moist to generate the process happening in the composting activity. Apii learnt that having the correct temperature, makes the microbes in your compost work. And having water, and oxygen in your compost also gives air to microbes to breathe properly.
The participants had the priviledge to view the Papaaroa Compost site which is quite big. Apii noted – “the site looks like a big mountain of bits and pieces of tree trunks, branches of trees free fish heads they receive from the Ocean Fresh Fishing company to add to the heap” Everything is turned over by a machine (Digger), with a commercial sprinkler that goes to water the heap of rubbish.
To get a successful rate of good material from the compost depends on the right temperature, and proper mixing of the compost material together with food scraps which keeps the insects robusts breaking the green waste down to a good compost soil.
The Papaaroa Compost Company is run by Teava Iro and some of the community worker who helps with the Machinery Operator. And they do sell their product at a minimal amount to get some returns back to pay the running cost of the place, and workers.
Through this workshop, Apii is able to apply her learning both at home and at work.
Fun Fact: Did you know that freshly chewed wood chips are like nature’s secret weapon against weeds? While you can’t toss them directly onto your ornamental plants or plantation (because they’re still raw and need time to decompose), these chips work wonders by creating a barrier that keeps pesky weeds from taking over. It’s like rolling out the red carpet for your garden—minus the gatecrashing weeds!
