Your eco-footprint is a measure of how many resources you use and tells you whether you tread heavily or lightly upon the planet. Simple acts that reduce your energy and water use, not only benefit the environment, but also helps you save money!
Sixty percent of all scheme water used in the Perth area is for watering lawns and gardens! There are plenty of ways to create a waterwise garden:
Soils
Improve the water and nutrient holding capacity of your soil by using mulches and soil conditioners – compost and worm castings are great natural soil conditioners and fertilisers. A fifteen-centimetre layer of mulch will greatly reduce water loss from the soil, while still allowing water to penetrate. You can also find out the soil type of your garden and choose local native plants to suit.
Planning Your Garden
A garden that has been planned to be water efficient can reduce your water bills, and require less work to maintain. Minimise lawn by using paving or mulches, or choose drought resistant varieties (such as Couch, Saltene, Kikuyu or Buffalo). Apply the principle of ‘hydrozoning’ (grouping plants and trees with similar watering requirements).
Choosing plants
Planting species that are drought tolerant, or already adapted to the local climate, can really reduce the amount of water that your garden needs. Dry gardens don’t have to be dull or boring! Gardening with local native plants reduces green waste, saves water, reduces maintenance needs and can attract native birds to your garden.
Irrigation
Use sprinklers that produce coarse sprays of large droplets to minimise wind drift and evaporation (you can test the efficiency of your irrigation system using catchcups). Water lawns and other areas with high water requirements separately to the rest of your garden.
Greywater provides an alternative water source to keep your garden and lawn green, especially in times of drought and water restrictions.
There are important groundwater resources and a number of significant wetlands in the City of Wanneroo. Groundwater and wetlands are easily polluted, which can result in loss of biodiversity, or cause algal blooms and midge problems. There are simple actions you can take to help prevent pollution of groundwater and wetlands:
- Stormwater drains are just for rain! Be careful how you store and dispose of paint, oil and chemicals – they can pollute groundwater and wetlands and kill frogs, fish, turtles, birds and plants. Don’t let leaves or lawn clippings wash into drains - they release nutrients as they rot, and can contribute to algae and midge problems
- Don’t use more fertiliser and water than your garden needs! Not only will you be wasting money, but the dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus will seep into groundwater or wash into drains and end up in your local wetland. Slow release fertilisers are best.
- Plant a native garden! Local native plants don’t need fertiliser to stay healthy. Native plants also require less maintenance than exotic plants, and can attract birds and butterflies to your garden.
- Don’t wash your car on the driveway! There are high levels of phosphorus (one of the two main nutrients that algae needs to grow) in most detergents. Instead you can use phosphorus free detergents or cloths that don’t need detergent, and wash your car on the lawn.
- Join or form a Friends group to look after a wetland! Get involved with a friends group like the Yellagonga Catchment Group. Friends groups care for wetlands through monitoring, revegetation and weeding, raising public awareness, and assisting Council with long-term management and restoration programs.
Composting and worm farming are useful and beneficial activities that can reduce your impact on the environment by reducing the amount of organic waste disposed to landfill. About two-thirds of all household waste is suitable to be recycled in a compost bin or worm farm.
Household waste such as food scraps, weeds, lawn clippings, leaves and garden prunings can be recycled and turned into compost.
By composting your greenwaste and using it on your garden, you can:
Save water - Water retention of the soil is increased by reducing evaporation from the soil surface and by increasing the amount of organic matter in the soil (which acts like a sponge for moisture).
Save on fertiliser and soil conditioners - Compost contains nutrients that are available to be used by plants. It also helps to retain artificial fertilisers, which are prone to leaching out of sandy soils.
Reduce household waste - both garden waste and many kitchen scraps are suitable for composting. This helps extend the life of landfill sites and reduces the problems associated with water leaching through landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. As an added bonus, it will also help prevent your bin from smelling bad!
Have the best garden in the street!
A range of compost bins and worm farms are available from the City of Wanneroo. The correct bin for your garden will depend on the amount of space available, the size of your garden and which type will work the best for you.
Download a compost bin and worm farm form.PDF
Contact Waste Services on (08) 9405 5000 for additional advice and information about composting or worm farming.