Today’s media coverage raising questions about the quality of compost and mulch is disappointing in its lack of balance and dispiriting in its impact on staff who work hard to produce these products.

It’s very appropriate that any local resident (or councillor) can raise hard questions about any service or product delivered by Orange City Council. Raising these questions can be the opportunity for delivering answers to those questions and produce a better-informed community.

It’s a shame when the coverage is superficially shaped only by the initial criticism and any informed, balanced, thoughtful perspective and context is only delivered in the coverage as an after-thought, at the end of an article.

Residents are again left with the impression that Orange City Council isn’t doing a good job, which again is far from the truth.

THE FACTS:

There are two different products that are available for sale from time to time at the Ophir Road Resource Recovery Centre.

Compost :

Orange City Council stands out from many in the local government sector for the quality of its waste management, and specifically for the way it produces compost, rather than by either putting waste into landfill or shipping this green waste to be dealt with by someone else.

Residents have a weekly food & garden waste (green bin) collection.

Waste from the green bins is shredded and taken to the compost tunnels at the Euchareena Rd centre. One of the facts supplied to the Central Western Daily that was not included in today’s coverage, is that at Euchareena Rd, the waste is turned into compost which is made to a very exacting Australian quality industry standard.

Unlike some commercially-available compost which is produced in open windrows, the high-temperature tunnel process at Euchareena Rd ensures the finished product contains no weeds, pathogens or other plant seeds.

Compost is generally used as a conditioner by gardeners to mix in with other soil blends to achieve a better balance of organic material. Compost isn’t generally used on its own, in situations such as top-dressing lawns. High levels of organic material means it will continue to break down as the surrounding soil improves. Gardeners know that, short-term, this can actually take nitrogen out of the soil, before the better soil outcome is finally reached. Then your veges will thrive.

While residents can buy a trailer load of the compost at the Ophir Rd Centre, most of this compost is sold in bulk by council’s contractor, JR Richards. Hundreds of tonnes of compost are sold each year to farmers, landscapers and garden supply businesses.

They spread this compost across paddocks and blend it with other materials to produce further soil products with specific purposes for specific markets.

Anyone doubting the quality of the Euchareena Rd compost could take a drive past the Jack Brabham Sportsground.

When Orange City Council re-developed the fields on the northern end of the site last season, tonnes of the high-quality Euchareena compost was blended in with the soil before new grass was planted. Now, the grass is lush and the sportsground has a soft, ideal playing surface.

Mulch:

From time to time, the Ophir Rd centre also produces and sells a very coarse wood chip.

This is produced from time to time when a travelling heavy-duty timber shredding machine, grinds dumped tree trunks and other large branches into a very coarse wood-chip product which is sold to residents.

Again, this process is another element of Orange City Council’s waste management strategy.

After branches and woody material are collected in the green bins, it is put through a shredder. Some tree trunks and large branches are too big for the Ophir Rd shredder. Instead these trunks are stock-piled until a travelling heavy-duty shredder pays a visit.

This wood chip is then sold until the pile is exhausted. Since the Ophir Rd site stopped being used for landfill, rehabilitation of the site has begun. Some of this wood-chip has been used on-site to add an extra top layer of organic material on top of the metre-deep soil, which covers the landfill site.

Compared to other mulching products available for sale in Orange, a finer mulch may be more suitable for household gardens. The very coarse woody product sold at Ophir Rd would work in a rural or landscaping setting to prevent weeds and moisture loss, but may not be as visually-appealing as finer wood chip products.

Other home gardeners prefer it as they say it helps create habitat for garden-friendly insects, and is very porous when it rains.

Either way it is a fit-for-purpose wood-chip product which can prevent weeds and retain soil moisture. A finer wood chip can be bought in Orange for around $50/cubic metre. This coarse wood-chip is sold from Ophir Rd for $19/cubic metre.

Council staff are exploring ways to make the coarse nature of the wood-chip product clearer to people before they buy it. Staff on the Ophir Rd weighbridge will now encourage customers to see the product first before they buy it, to avoid disappointment.

The bottom-line :

Orange City Council is doing a good job in the way it produces compost and wood-chip.

Coverage which highlights initial criticism and questioning without letting the answers to those questions inform a judgement about whether that story is worth running in the first place, might make an easy headline.

This kind of superficial reporting is another sign of why traditional media is losing its readers and relevance.

HEAVY-DUTY : Only the largest tree trunks, which are too big to be put through an on-site shredder, are converted top wood-chip by heavy-duty travelling machinery.

Tens of thousands of dollars worth of upgrades are near completion at Margret Stevenson Park, including a $73,000 gym, which opened to the public this week.

The gym was funded by Orange City Council, Housing plus and Real Insurance and was officially opened on Wednesday, with the remaining money .

Orange Mayor John Davis said the 15 station gym would act as a focal point in the neighbourhood and bring people together.

"It's great for the community and it will encourage people to keep up with fitness and it's not just for the people of Bowen," he said.

"It's also for the broader community and will greatly assist in breaking down barriers for residents to engage in physical activity."

Real Insurance spokesperson Phillip Anderson said the outdoor gym initiative, known as realSpaces, was the first of its kind in Australia.

"it is also a testament to the commitment of local community councils and their efforts to provide residents with access to better facilities," Mr Anderson said.

"At Real Insurance, our aim ultimately is to have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of local communities.

"If we can make exercise more accessible and affordable for people looking to improve their health and fitness levels, we feel we will have made a significant contribution to the lives of everyday Australians.”

Cr Davis said Orange City council had given a high priority to making the city a more bike-friendly and pedestrian-friendly place.

"In places like Moulder Park, the installation of outdoor gym equipment alongside bike paths has proved very popular and I’m sure the residents who live around Margaret Stevenson Park will make the most of this new space," Cr Davis said.

Housing Plus spokesperson Justin Cantelo said the facility would be a "real drawcard" for a space not used often.

"The partnership with Real Insurance has provided a great outcome as it means we have been able to create an even larger facility for residents in the area than was previously funded through Family and Community Services.

"We are very grateful to FACS and Orange City Council for helping to make Bowen a fantastic community to live in, and would also like to thank the residents of Bowen for all their guidance in the early stages of the project.”

The remaining funds from the Housing Plus grant has been used to upgrade the Margaret Stevenson Park basketball backboard and plant 5 mature trees.

Still to be completed is the installation of some park furniture and a bubbler.

GYM: Inspecting the new equipment, David Fischer CEO of Housing Plus in Orange, Phillip Anderson of Real Insurance and Mayor John Davis.

See more : realspaces.org

OPEN DAY: Over 600 people toured the museum on its opening day in November. PHOTO: Jude Keogh

SAFETY: Red man and green man teaching pedestrian safety in Summer Street.

ACCESSIBLE: Mayor John Davis, Minister for Ageing and Disability Services John Ajaka, member for Calare Phil Donato with Jospeh Peters where the new disability lift will be installed.

If it's been years since you've ridden a bike, or... you've always wanted to but never got around to it, then Sunday 3 December is your best chance.

Orange City Council and DG Cycles have partnered to stage a try2wheels event.

Orange resident Megan Hiney is among locals who've rung in to register for the event.

You can book a time-slot by phoning 6360 4040.

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