Want to make a difference in your community?
Want to help protect our environment?
Want to learn how to save money?
Want to meet like-minded people and have fun?
...then join the Master Composter Programme!
Waterford City Council with funding from the EPA will launch a Master Composter
Programme in Waterford City this spring. Master Composters are community volunteers who promote food & garden waste prevention and encourage people to compost at home. All of this saves money while improving our environment. We are looking for up to 40 dedicated volunteers to join us for this exciting initiative.
What do you get?
International home composting expert, Craig Benton, known as Doctor Compost, will lead an action packed and exciting hands-on training program over five evening workshops and three weekend field days (see details of the training programme below).
From this training you will learn about how waste is managed in Ireland, how to prevent garden and food waste and how to compost using at least six different composting systems. As a part of the training, we will build a home composting demonstration site that can be used to show people the various methods of composting and how to use compost around the garden.
Master Composter Volunteer Training Programme
Evening 1: 7pm – 9.30pm Tuesday May 14 th
 Introductions, review training agenda and schedule, and goal setting
Solid waste management overview presentation and discussion 
 Food waste prevention techniques presentation and brainstorming
Evening 2: 7pm – 9.30pm

Tuesday May 21 st
Garden waste prevention tips & grasscycling presentation and brainstorming
Biology of composting presentation and discussion 
 Garden material composting (mulching, holding units, turning systems) presentation and troubleshooting discussion
 Demonstration sites: overview and health & safety briefing
Field day 1: 10am – 4pm Saturday, May 25 th
 Build a demonstration site with food and garden composting systems within the

City of Waterford
Hands on workshop to learn how to start each of the system installed

Evening 3: 7pm – 9.30pm

Tuesday, May 28 th
Food composting techniques (burial, food digesters, vermicomposting and composting with garden materials) presentation and troubleshooting discussion
 Benefits of using compost/mulch and how to use compost around the home
Evening 4: 7pm – 9.30pm Tuesday June 4 th
 Community outreach possibilities presentation and brainstorm
 Promoting our events and activities presentation and brainstorm
 Developing individual and group plans
Field day 2: 10am-4pm Saturday June 8 th
 Workshop to learn how to operate all of the composting systems at the demonstration site
 Troubleshooting composting piles
 Grand opening of site and presentation of Master Composter certificates
 Open house to mingle with neighbours and friends
Evening 5: 7pm – 9:30pm

Tuesday June 11
Green Home Programme introduction th
 Finalising plans for working within your community
Field day 3: 10am-4pm Last Saturday to be determined (June-July)
Outreach to focus on food waste prevention and composting
What’s expected in return?
After the training, volunteers are expected to contribute at least 30 hours of time within the following year to work within your community to promote the messages of the programme. We’ll make this easy for you! At the end of the training, volunteers will create their own outreach plan working individually or with other volunteers to get the word out to others. In other words, Master Composters can choose what kind of outreach they will do. They can work with school children, within a neighbourhood allotment or church, or be available to support the programme’s participation in community events, fairs or festivals. It’s all good fun.
Master Composters will have access to a variety of educational tools to help them with their community outreach, including:
 A home composting demonstration site in Waterford
 An outreach slide show detailing the why, what and how of waste prevention and home composting, plus tools and bins for hands-on workshops
 A series of “how to” brochures and flyers
 A portable display and posters to attract attention
 An extensive website with all relevant information, ideas, plans, and methods available to residents, teachers and businesses.
Waterford City Council as well as project team staff will be there to coordinate and support volunteer outreach efforts and activities as needed.
One of the benefits of the programme is the opportunity to meet like-minded people and have fun making a difference in your community. You will feel good as you help people save money and do the right thing for our environment.
So join us! Simply call Ella Ryan, Environmental Awareness Officer with
Waterford City Council at 051-849938 or e-mail eryan@waterfordcity.ie
to sign
up now. Don’t delay.... there are limited places for this very popular programme.
Application deadline is March 31 st .