All posts by Matt

Invasive Alien Plants in Our Neighbourhood

I’ve listed some of the more frequently found invasive alien plants (IAP) found in the upper highway. As opportunity occurs I’ll post relevant images and other relevant info regarding identifying and controlling these plants. You can also find info on Kloof Conservancy Site

Ageratum

American Bramble

Balloon Vine

Barbados Gooseberry

Black Wattle

Brazilian Pepper

Bugweed

Camphor

Castor Oil Plant

Coral Bush

Ginger

Guava

Inkberry

Lantana

Litsea

Mexican Sunflower

Montanoa

Sword Fern

Syringa

Wandering Jew

Recycling Your Kitchen Waste into Compost Easily

Many of our garden maintenance customers ask about making compost from kitchen and garden waste and we are

Kitchen Waste Digester
Kitchen Waste Digester

always keen on new technologies and ideas about how to do that easily and cleanly. As you probably know if you have ever managed a compost heap that it can get smelly and turn downright putrid if you get it wrong.

Earth Probiotic Recycling Solutions Pty. Ltd. is a recycling business focused on the management and reuse of food-waste.

Food-waste, when dumped, is an environmental hazard.  During the putrefying process, food-waste produces greenhouse gases including methane, attracts vermin, provides an ideal breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and pollutes above and below-ground water sources.

However, when treated properly food-waste can be reused as a microbial rich soil enhancer. And any gardener likes that idea.

Earth Probiotic’s solution is a fermentation (vs. decomposing) process.  Using bokashi – wheat-bran innoculated with effective microorganisms – food-waste is fermented in anaerobic drums and digesters.  Through this process, ALL food-waste can be treated including cooked and uncooked meat, sea-food, dairy, onions, citrus and small bones.

During the fermentation process pathogens are removed through competitive exclusion.  Good bacteria colonises the food-waste matrix and makes it ready for reapplication into soil and compost.

Not only is the food-waste thus now reusable, the end product is rich in essential microbial life and thus has the ability to super-charge plant and vegetable growth.

Earth Probiotic offers food-waste management solutions for households and businesses.

Business Food-Waste Solutions

As no two commercial kitchens are the same, Earth Probiotic offers a bespoke solution.  Solutions can be either:

Setting up on-site composting facilities so that food-waste can be reused in the grounds of the entity.
Providing a collection and replacement solution where fermentation drums are collected and replaced with clean ones.  Food-waste is taken to Earth Probiotic’s composting facility in northern Johannesburg.

For both solutions, in-kitchen separation is necessary.

Earth Probiotic provides fermentation drums, separation drums and bokashi.  Bokashi should be added to the food-waste during the separation process.

Successful implementations include Protea Hotels (Witbank, Capital, Highveld), The Peech Hotel, and a completed trial at Nando’s in Savoy.  Benefits of the system listed are:

Cleaner more easily managed kitchens.
Significantly fewer flies and other pests.
Reduced odours.
Increased waste awareness and thus savings.
Financial savings on pest deterrents, rubbish bags, cleaning products and bin pick-up costs.

Domestic Food-Waste Solutions

Imported digesters manufactured by SCD Probiotics in Thailand.  These digesters (also called composters) are anaerobic probiotic-infused plastic bins.
Local digesters manufactured in South Africa.  These bins are available in 20/25l for domestic and small B&B use.
Bokashi bran which is essential for the effective fermentation of the food-waste.  Bokashi is locally brewed using SCD Probiotics technology.
Food-waste is deposited in the digester and then progressively layered with bokashi.  During the process there are no bad odours, no fly infestation and no roaches.  It’s the cleanest and easiest and cleanest way to manage your food-waste.

If the idea of easily disposing of your kitchen waste – domestic or commercial –  interests you then call Kevin on o83 686 4471 for more information and a costing for your application.  You may be surprised at how little it costs and you may even end up saving a lot of money in the process.