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Schools Environment Program
Did you know that Council provides a range of free waste and environmental education programs for schools and child care facilities?
These sessions teach students about how waste and recycling impact the environment and how we can take simple actions to help reduce waste and save precious resources. Learn about the water cycle, hunt for mini-beasts whilst discovering the fundamental role rivers and creeks play in the environment, and explore waste from new exciting perspectives!
To find out more and to book, visit Environmental Programs For Schools
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Plastic Free July
The month of July (or better known as Plastic Free July for all sustainability champions out there!), is nearing an end, however it's not too late to be part of the plastic free movement!
We know that more than 6 out of 10 of us are already refusing plastic shopping bags, avoiding pre-packed fruit and veg, picking up other people's litter and avoiding buying bottled water. We'd love to hear about steps you've taken to reduce plastic, and by sharing your experience with us, you will go in the running to win a prize. It's not too late to sign up and share your own #plasticfreemcc experience for your chance to win!
Just follow the link here.
Congratulations to all of those who received a Plastic Free Starter Kit and thanks to all for making a difference and being plastic free in July, and beyond!
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Recycling Statement
Maribyrnong Council can confirm that recycling services remain unchanged, and that recycling collected throughout Maribyrnong will continue to be separated, recycled and diverted from landfill.
With the recent changes in the recycling industry, it is more important than ever that residents continue to recycle, and that we reduce the amount of contamination going into our recycling. While the Chinese National Sword policy has put pressure on the recycling industry in recent months, China has not banned recyclables from Australia. It will still accept recyclables if they are separated and have minimal amounts of contamination. Reducing recycling contamination is therefore an ongoing strategic priority.
Continue reading here: Waste Services.
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Solar installation brings Council closer to Zero Carbon
Three new solar projects totalling 78kW were completed last month at RecWest Braybrook, Council
Operations Centre and Footscray Bowling Club. Approximately 116,000kWh of electricity will be
generated from these three sites, which will reduce electricity costs and assists Council in achieving its
Zero Carbon status. Council is committed to assisting the community reduce the ongoing costs of utility
charges for both its own operations and community facilities. As part of Council’s program to upgrade the lighting at Council owned buildings, we also changed fifty fluorescent lights at Footscray Bowling Club to LED panel lighting. Lighting costs have been reduced by almost 50%.
 
Andrew Titterington, Vice-President of Footscray Park Bowling Club said "The addition of solar and the reduced running cost of the LED lighting should save the club somewhere between $3000 to $4000 annually. In combination with some other energy efficiency initiatives the Club is driving these changes should help to make the Club a more financially and environmentally sustainable entity in both the short and long terms".
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King of the worm farms!
 Compost Community Maribyrnong has just released its all new Worm Castle worm farm made right here in Melbourne, from recycled plastic. By recycling your food scraps in a Worm Castle, you are not only saving organic waste from landfill and greenhouse gas emissions, you are supporting the growth of the recycling in Australia.
Residents of the City of Maribyrnong receive exclusive discounts plus a $30 rebate from Council. So, what are you waiting for?
If you would like to know more about the Worm Castle, visit Compost Community.
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Calling all Nature Explorers
 Become a Nature Explorer and discover the wonders of your local environment with a Nature Explorer Kit!
This hands-on educational resource is designed to encourage children and their families to explore their local environment. Get your hands on one of our fun Nature Explorer kits by booking one at any of our Maribyrnong Library Branches.
Kits include binoculars, bug viewers, torch, night scope, animal guides, environmental information, and a nature journal for capturing your experience and sharing it with others.
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Community Grant Program
Council’s annual community grant program is now open! The community grant program is a great way for local community groups and organisations to respond to community issues and ideas that matter to them. The program encourages applications for projects that create and support community participation and wellbeing.
The grant funding is across three funding levels:
Small grants and seniors support: up to $500
Medium grants: up to $5,000 (arts and culture, community development, environmental sustainability)
Large grants: up to $15,0000 for larger scale community development partnership projects
For a copy of the grant guidelines and for more information, visit Council's Community Grants Program.
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Urban Forest Strategy
Our vision is for a greener Maribyrnong. Contribute towards increasing the health of our City by providing your feedback on the Draft Urban Forest Strategy that aims to make Maribyrnong leafy, cool and inviting.
To provide your feedback or view other opportunities to get involved, visit Urban Forest Strategy.
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Vote for your favourite trees
Trees provide a vast array of benefits including the provision of shade, local habitat, improved air quality and contributing to the character of our neighbourhoods. Urban environments can particularly benefit from tree canopy which can reduce daytime temperatures and energy use in buildings shaded by trees.
Council is committed to protecting its significant trees on both public and private land to preserve our natural and cultural heritage and to continue to enhance the amenity of the city, safeguarding its natural and cultural heritage and preserving the many benefits of trees in the urban landscape.
Council is developing a Significant Tree Register; nominations are currently being sought.
Nominations for significant trees are open for six months and will close on 30 November 2018. For more information, visit https://www.yourcityyourvoice.com.au/significant-trees.
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Two New Bike Repair Stations - vote on location
 Council seeks your involvement to suggest the locations of two new bike repair stations in 2018. The new locations will add to the network of existing bike repair stations at Pipemakers Park (Maribyrnong) Shepherds Bridge (Footscray) and West Footscray Train Station.
For more information and to nominate a location for a new bike repair station, visit Bike Repair Station.
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Action on our streets!
A small group of residents are coming together to work towards a cleaner city and river, by committing to pick up rubbish for 1 hour a month on the local streets.
They call themselves Love Our Street 3032, and are part of the Beach Patrol program, a chain of volunteer community groups each defined by suburb, post code and t-shirt colour, is helping to clean the beaches of Melbourne. This newly established group have already collected an impressive 149 kilograms of rubbish from their local streets and environment in just a few months.
“We are working towards a cleaner city which reduces rubbish being washed into the Maribyrnong River. We celebrate our clean-up efforts with a coffee at a local café.” said Love Our Street 3032 founding member, Victoria Fisher.
The last clean up event in July saw six dedicated volunteers collect 140 bottles, 1440 cigarette butts and 24kg of rubbish. The group collect rubbish which is then sorted, weighed and the data is collated on the Beach Patrol page to share with other groups and the broader community.
To be part of the Love Our Street 3032 group, or to find out more, visit Love Our Street 3032 on Facebook.
  
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Event Wrap Up:
Gardening with Children at the Yarraville Community Garden
The sun shone brightly at Yarraville Community Garden on Thursday 12 July, for our Gardening with Children workshop. This school holiday activity saw almost fifty children and their families nestled amongst the garden beds for a fun and interactive session where everyone learnt about seasonal gardening, practiced propagation techniques and planted edible seed.
The children also had a chance to unleash their creativity by decorating a terracotta pot masterpiece, to proudly display at home. Thank you to Yarraville Community Garden for kindly hosting this event, The Sage Garden for facilitating the workshop and all participants who got involved with this My Smart Garden event.
 
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Sustainable Living Maribyrnong Events
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National Tree Day - Planting, Learning and Lunch!
Sunday 29 July, 10am - 1pm
40 Lacy Street, Braybrook.
Join us on National Tree Day for a fun-filled day full of planting and nature activities as we revegetate along the Maribyrnong River. There will be planting activities, wildlife shows, a walk and talk with the Wurundjeri, lunch and coffee!
Learn about our the flora and fauna of the Maribyrnong River, get your hands dirty, meet new friends, and help to support our precious local biodiversity. All ages and abilities welcome. Please wear sturdy shoes, bring a drink bottle and sun protection. Some gloves and tools will be provided.
FREE EVENT. Bookings essential here.
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Create a 'Hotel' for Native Bees and Beneficial Insects
Sunday 26 August, 10am - 12noon
Braybrook Community Hub, 107-139 Churchill Ave, Braybrook.
Learn about why native bees are important for our ecosystem, biodiversity and the critical role they play in our food systems. This workshop will first provide an overview of bees and other pollinators with a focus on Victorian local native bees. Create a large native bee and pollinator hotel at the Braybrook Commons Community Garden, complete with a green roof, using many recycled and salvaged materials and native bee attracting plants.
FREE EVENT. Bookings essential here.
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Gardening in Small Spaces
Saturday 8 September, 10am - 12noon
Yarraville Community Garden, 5 Court St, Yarraville.
Being space constrained is not a barrier to have a beautiful, productive and functional sustainable garden. There are many tips, tricks and simple solutions to make your garden seem bigger, to overcome constraints and grow a garden that is good for you and the environment. Learn design elements for small sustainable gardens, growing in pots and containers and how to grow a food gardening when space is limited.
FREE EVENT. Bookings essential here.
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Maidstone Communal Composting
Saturday 15 September, 10am-12pm
15 Eucalyptus Drive, Maidstone.
Join Compost Community and residents of a Maidstone multi-unit dwelling to learn ways to set up and manage communal composting in apartments. Learn about the different options for composting in a communal space, how to choose a location, and how you can install complementary systems for those wanting to do that little bit extra. Compare a compost tumbler with a compost bin as well as courtyard and balcony sized systems such as bokashi and worm farms.
Learn tips to manage the system for success including troubleshooting, harvesting and using the compost you have produced. Workshop participants will receive a compost caddy for their apartment/home for collecting food scraps in their kitchen.
FREE EVENT. Bookings essential here.
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Maribyrnong Garage Sale Trail
Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 October 2018
Various locations across Maribyrnong City Council.
Garage Sale Trail is a free festival of over 16,100 garage sales that happens in communities across Australia annually. Save the date! The next Garage Sale Trail is taking place on Saturday 20 October and Sunday 21 October 2018.
Registrations to host a sale open on Friday 10 August.
Don't forget to ask for your seller pack (numbers are very limited - so jump on it quickly!). Join The Movement — Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October 2018.
FREE EVENT. For more information and to register, visit Garage Sale Trail.
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Inspired by the Australian Landscape:
Garden Design using Native Plants
Friday 3 August, 7.50pm
The Australian Plants Society, Keilor Plains Group
Main Hall, Raleigh Road Activity Centre (ex RSL)
54 Raleigh Rd, Maribyrnong.
Join the Australian Plants Society, Keilor Plains Group, for a free presentation from Emmaline Bowman, Master of Landscape Architecture (RMIT University). Founder of Stem Landscape Architecture & Design, Emmaline Bowman, is a landscape architect with a huge passion for the environment and all animals. She is meticulous about creating beautiful compositions and spaces that work as systems, and has specialist skills in the design of wildlife parks, aquariums, zoological design and master planning with a strong commitment to environmental conservation of wild places.
For more information visit http://www.apskeilorplains.org.au/ or contact Anne on 9336 3228 or email info@apskeilorplains.org.au.
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Zero Waste Festival
Sunday 5 August, 11am – 3pm
Brunswick Town Hall, 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick.
Our friends at Zero Waste Victoria are holding their inaugural Zero Waste Festival for the general community. You’ll learn practical solutions to minimise waste in your everyday lives, like: shopping with less packaging; different composting methods; cooking with scraps; and using cloth nappies, plus you’ll hear about toy libraries and tool libraries. The Melbourne Repair Café is excited to be talking to the community about how to set up a Repair Café and to continue building support for Melbourne’s first Sharing Shed. Wherever you are in your zero waste journey, this is an event not to be missed.
This is a free community event. For more information and register, visit here.
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Upcycled Jewellery Repair
Sunday 12 August, 10.30 – 12.30pm
Yarraville Community Centre
59 Francis St, Yarraville.
Learn how to fix your old jewellery and create new and unique pieces from vintage jewellery. We’ll teach you the basic tools and techniques so that you can become self-sufficient in looking after your jewellery for years and years to come. No experience necessary, all materials included.
Cost $59.00. For more information and register, visit here.
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Beeswax Food Wraps
Sunday 12 August, 2.30 – 4.30pm
Yarraville Community Centre
59 Francis St, Yarraville.
Learn how to make these increasingly popular beeswax wraps and help eliminate plastic forever. Perfect alternative to cling wrap and zip lock bags for covering bowls of leftovers and packing in lunchboxes. These wraps keep food fresh and hygienic, made from beeswax, the wraps are washable, reusable and compostable. Be part of the solution with this practical and fun sustainability workshop.
Cost $59.00. For more information and register, visit here.
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Melbourne Repair Café (Inner West)
Sunday 12 August, 10am - 1pm
Yarraville Community Centre, 59 Francis St, Yarraville.
Join our monthly repair session in Yarraville on the second Sunday of every month. If you have some items laying around the house which need fixing, bring them along and have a cuppa while you learn some trouble-shooting and repair skills. Our fixers have a variety of skills to help you with small home appliances, toys, tools, or mending clothes, bags and accessories - returning your treasured items to use and saving them from landfill.
For more information visit http://melbournerepaircafe.org. or visit https://www.facebook.com/events/177164963042386/
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Community Assembly - Maribyrnong
Wednesday 15 August, 6.15pm - 8.30pm
Dream Factory, 90 Maribyrnong St, Footscray.
*This event runs on the third Wednesday of every month.
The Community Assembly provides an opportunity to meet other people in the Maribyrnong council area who care about creating a healthy, vibrant and connected community. It's a chance to share our common concerns or successes, hear different perspectives about the social or environmental issues and challenges we face, discover opportunities to collaborate and share resources, or simply find out what's going on around town.
The Community Assembly is hosted by Transition Town Maribyrnong in collaboration with Inner West Community Enterprises Inc. Community groups can register for a meeting space from 6.15-7.45pm.
This is a free community event. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/199304967396306/
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Love Our Street 3032 Clean Up
Sunday 19 August, 10am
Cnr Gordon Street & Mephan Street, Footscray.
Do you have a spare hour to join Love Our Street 3032 for a monthly community street clean, and do something great for the environment? This is great opportunity for Maribyrnong residents to meet their neighbours, clean up our streets and river and have a coffee. Become part of the wider BeachPatrol network of more than 2,300 volunteers whilst cleaning the streets.
This is a free community event. For more information or to participate, visit https://www.beachpatrol.com.au/LOS/LOS-3032
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Council Programs For You!
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My Smart Garden
The My Smart Garden program is a highly successful sustainable gardening program concepted and managed by three local councils in inner west Melbourne – Moonee Valley, Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong. We actively strive to build the resilience of local people living with a changing climate and scarcer resources.
Since 2011, our program has grown a network of over 1500 urban gardeners who are now gardening ‘smarter’: that is, harvesting and using water efficiently, growing food, using organic pesticides, recycling wastes and using vegetation to shelter their homes. Our program aims to deliver training, provides best-practice gardening resources and build community connections around sustainable urban gardening.
For more information, visit: www.mysmartgarden.org.au
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Food Know How
Food Know How is an award winning program that helps households reduce the amount of food they throw away.
The program helps households to avoid and minimise food waste by providing you with easy ways to get the most out of menu and meal planning, using leftovers, and tips about smart shopping and food storage, as well as composting and worm farming.
For more information, visit: www.foodknowhow.org.au/
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