Sustainable Living Blacktown - May 2021

 Sustainable Living Blacktown - May 2021

This month in Sustainable Living Blacktown:

• is your home ready for winter?
• safe disposal of problem waste
• Get the Site Right blitz
• look after your worms in winter
• protect our biodiversity
• World Migratory Bird Day
• World Bee Day

Keeping your home warm can lead to high electricity bills. This is a result of rising energy prices and spending more time inside during cold days and nights. Now is the time to prepare for the upcoming winter months and gather information and ideas to help you heat your home efficiently.

Blacktown City Council has partnered with Australian Energy Foundation to provide our residents with independent and personalised advice on energy efficiency.

Use these tips to maximise efficient heating in your home: 

• seal the draughts around your home, to stop cold air coming in and warm air leaking out
• ensure windows have coverings such as curtains, to help insulate the home
• check your ceiling insulation for gaps and correct thickness
• arrange a maintenance check for your air-conditioner or heater and clean the filters to ensure optimum efficiency
• set your air-conditioners to 18⁰C-20⁰C (heat setting) for a comfortable temperature that won’t require as much energy. Each degree higher leads to about a 10% increase in running cost!

Take the opportunity to phone Australian Energy Foundation for a free energy consultation and you will automatically enter the draw to win a free on-site home energy assessment worth $300. Call 1300 23 68 55 or book here by 10 June 2021.   

Have you checked your smoke detectors recently?  Before winter sets in, take time to ensure that your smoke detectors are working properly. You may need to replace any faulty smoke detectors or batteries, and dispose of the old ones.

Our mobile community recycling service is a safe and easy way for you to recycle and safely dispose of household waste, such as:

• smoke detectors, gas bottles, fire extinguishers
• household and car batteries
• old cooking oil, motor vehicle oils and paint
• fluorescent globes and tubes.

To book, visit the mobile community recycling service.

Enter your details under the ‘book a free pick up’ tab to receive a collection date and instructions on how to place items for safe and easy collection.

Download the B informed app to find out how to correctly dispose of an item, receive reminders to put out your bins and contact us to book a clean-up. Our waste app is your one stop shop for all of this and more, and can be downloaded for Apple and Android devices on this link.

This May, councils across Sydney are participating in an educational and compliance Get the Site Right blitz.

Get the Site Right focuses on erosion and sediment control on building and construction sites. The aim is to help ensure builders and home renovators keep sand, soil and gravel under control.

Sediment run-off can contain building materials such as cement, sand and soil, including various clays. These materials mix with water and enter the stormwater drains. The drains run into our creeks and rivers. The clay in the runoff can trap nutrients which cause algal blooms that harm aquatic plants and animals.

Council officers will visit building sites to ensure controls are in place. They will also check for instances of water pollution. These visits are in addition to the ongoing program of random inspections.

See a site that's not right? Report pollution incidents to Blacktown City Council on 9839 6000 or the Environment Protection Authority’s 24/7 environment line on 131 555.

Find out more about sediment controls here.

When compost worms become too cold they eat and reproduce less. This can lead to food scraps in the worm farm breaking down more slowly and becoming smelly.

If the inside temperature of the worm farm falls below 5˚C, worms will start to freeze and die.

Help prevent your worms from freezing by:

• placing your worm farm undercover instead of out in the open. A carport or patio shelter works well
• bringing your worm farm into the garage or house on particularly cold nights
• insulating the worm farm, using an old blanket, towel or polystyrene box.

Blacktown City Council runs monthly introductory workshops on composting and worm farming, which include troubleshooting some of the most common worm farm issues. Join us, and you will also have a chance to ask other questions you may have. If you are interested in coming along, simply register through our Eventbrite page.

Biodiversity is the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat. It includes all the different species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms.

All these species are interconnected in some way and play a key role in sustaining our planet. Plants provide oxygen for all life on Earth, and bees and birds pollinate plants to produce fruit, vegetables and nuts. 

We can all play a part to protect and sustain biodiversity. 

Here's what you can do:

• plant native plant species in your backyard as a food source and shelter for local wildlife
• click here for more tips on how to make your garden wildlife-friendly
• if you are a Blacktown City resident, get your garden started with 2 free plants from Council's nursery
• help protect and preserve local bushland by joining a Bushcare group. Download the bushcare calendar and see the list of groups here. 
• keep your cats in, especially at night and report feral animal sightings to FeralScan
• avoid littering and ensure that only rain goes down the drain because the stormwater drainage system runs into our creeks and rivers 
• create an environmentally sustainable home.

World Migratory Bird Day is on 8 May. The theme this year is ‘sing, fly, soar – like a bird!’ 

Currently, 16 migratory bird species visit Blacktown City from Japan, China and Korea. They rely on our wetlands for habitat over winter, flight pit stops and/or breeding sites.

For example, you might see the curlew sandpiper (pictured above) and the sharp-tailed sandpiper at Nurragingy Reserve, Lakes Edge Park or Riverstone Wetlands.

Help protect native birds at home by:

• providing safe shelters, e.g. finches like dense vegetation grasses like kangaroo grass or lomandra
• installing a bird bath
• ensuring cats, dogs and other pets cannot access bird areas.

The NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc. (WIRES) does not encourage feeding native birds because it can affect their health and behaviour, and upset the natural balance of species.  

Want to do more? Become a volunteer for the Powerful Owl Project and report your sightings the next time you spot or hear one. The powerful owl is a vulnerable species that is under threat from habitat loss due to increased urban development.

World Bee Day is on 20 May. It celebrates the important role bees play in food production, biodiversity and ecosystems.

Australia is home to around 2,000 bee species. Along with other pollinators, bees play a major role in Australia's agriculture. Some crops are almost completely dependent on bee pollination for fruit and nut production, like almonds, apples and blueberries.

Bee pollination is also important for biodiversity conservation. Native bees pollinate many eucalyptus and angophora trees. These are important species in the Cumberland Plain Woodland native vegetation community, which is found in Blacktown City. Conserving Cumberland Plain Woodland is important as only 9% of this vegetation community remains in western Sydney,

Here’s what you can do to help native bees:

• plant a bee-friendly garden by selecting plants that flower all year round in a variety of colours and shapes 
• avoid insecticides if possible. Some insecticides harm beneficial insects as well as pests.
• provide nest habitats like insect hotels, leaf litter piles or wallaby grass.

Sustainable Living Blacktown is an initiative of Blacktown City Council

Sustainable Living Blacktown E-newsletter - Blacktown City Council - January 2021

 

This month in Sustainable Living Blacktown:

• many thanks to Adopt a Park volunteers
• bolster Blacktown biodiversity through bushcare
• let's be waterwise this summer
• responsible picnics
• which bin goes out when?
• flying foxes at risk from powerlines
• World Wetlands Day.

 

As our Adopt a Park project comes to an end, we wish to thank all the volunteers who contributed over the past 5 years. 

Adopt a Park commenced as a Council initiative to engage local residents in helping to keep our parks clean and to discourage littering. It was a NSW Environment Protection Authority, Waste Less Recycle More project, funded from the domestic waste levy.

Since 2015, across 20 ‘adopted’ parks in Blacktown City, individuals, school groups and other organisations worked together to remove 216 cubic metres of litter. This is equivalent in size to 9 household garbage trucks!

With the promotion of community education around responsible rubbish disposal, the program has seen a decrease in the litter in our parks. Volunteers have also planted, weeded and mulched gardens, and provided ideas and input into improving engagement with the community.

We would like to extend our thanks and congratulate all our Adopt a Park program participants for their time and hard work.

We wish them well in their future endeavours and thank the NSW Government for its assistance with funding throughout the program. 

Our Open Space Maintenance section will continue to service these parks, for the enjoyment of the public.

If you would like to help improve Blacktown’s parks, we encourage you to join Bushcare!

Australia is one of the 17 ‘mega diverse’ countries that together account for less than 10% of the global surface, yet support more than 70% of the world’s biological diversity.

Australia is home to between 600,000 and 700,000 species, many of which are only found in Australia.  Unfortunately, since European settlement, 100 species have become extinct, including 34 species of mammal.

Blacktown City’s local bushland contains the vegetation community called ‘Cumberland Plain Woodland’, which is classed as a critically endangered ecological community under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. Only about 9% of this vegetation type is left.

Would you like to be part of an amazing group of volunteers helping to protect and restore the remaining Cumberland Plain Woodland?

You can join one of our local bushcare groups and be part of a team working to protect our local bushland and the wildlife that depend on it.

Bushcare groups are supported by Council through training, supervision, plants, tools, technical advice and opportunities to participate with grants and other special projects. Volunteers generally work for 3 hours, one weekend a month.

The bushcare program will recommence at all 17 of our Bushcare sites in 2021.

For further information about our bushcare program, click here, or call our Natural Areas Team on 9839 6000 or email us at ourenvironment@blacktown.nsw.gov.au

Sydney Water has announced that Water Wise Guidelines apply. These replaced the Level 1 water restrictions which NSW Government lifted from 1 December 2020. The guidelines apply to households and businesses.

Being water wise remains important due to Sydney’s growing population and the longer-term trend of increasing numbers of hot summer days in western Sydney. Combined, these will continue to increase our ongoing demand for water.  We can all help to reduce that demand by being efficient in our use of water.  

By following the new Water Wise Guidelines, we can conserve water now and ensure there is enough for everyone to use in the future.

Under the new Water Wise Guidelines, you can use water to:

• water lawns and gardens before 10 am and after 4 pm using a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle, sprinklers or standard watering systems
• top up pools and spas to replace water lost through evaporation
• wash cars with a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle
• clean windows, walls and gutters with a hand-held hose fitted with a trigger nozzle.

See here for more information on what you can and cannot do under the new guidelines.

During the warmer season, picnics can be a great way to enjoy Blacktown City’s beautiful parks.

Whether you are enjoying a barbeque with family or are getting together with friends, it’s important to make sure you don’t leave litter behind. It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep our parks and green spaces litter-free by making sure we put our rubbish in the bin.

Litter can blow into the stormwater drains and waterways and harm the local wildlife.  For example, plastic bags, balloons and bottle caps may cause choking hazards and other injuries when ducks, birds or fish mistake them for food.

Leaving food scraps behind can also be dangerous to the local wildlife as it disrupts their natural diet and may make them sick. Many animals are unable to break down foods such as fruit peels, apple cores and processed breads. Feeding local wildlife can also have long-term effects on their health and foraging abilities.  Visit Environment NSW for more information.

When picnicking, avoid litter by taking your own kit of reusable items, including:

• a reusable bag
• refillable water bottles
• re-usable food containers, cups and plates that you take home to wash
• and an air tight container for food scraps that you can take home for composting. 

If you are new to the area, find the parks nearest you, by visiting the ‘My Neighbourhood’ page on our website.

At your place, do you remember which night is recycling bin night? Have you recently moved into Blacktown City and are not sure which night the bin goes out?

You can get bin reminders and correct disposal information through the B informed app, which can be downloaded from our website here.

You can also find this information on our website under the ‘My Neighbourhood’ section. Simply enter your address and click ‘search’ to find lots of useful information, including:

• your upcoming garbage and recycling bin collection dates
• a downloadable pdf of the annual recycling calendar that you can print for yourself or keep as a quick reference on your computer or phone
• events happening in your local area
• information on your local Councillors.

If you are looking for information on recycling, including on some of the trickier items, you can watch our recycling video here.

Blacktown City is home to a grey-headed flying-fox camp on Ropes Creek. Currently, an estimated 500-2,500 flying foxes live at the camp.

Flying-foxes are the largest members of the bat family and play a crucial role in the Australian environment because they are valuable pollinators and seed dispersers. Flying-foxes feed mainly at night on nectar, pollen and fruit.

Flying-foxes face a range of threats including habitat loss, entanglements in garden or fruit netting and hot weather events (with temperatures over 40⁰C sometimes leading to mass deaths). Flying-foxes also come into contact with powerlines and are frequently observed to have suffered electrocution. It is not currently known how many die from this each year.

Researchers are investigating this, and you can assist by downloading the free iNaturalist app on Apple or Google Play and signing up to report photos or sightings.

You can also help flying-foxes by:

• planting native flowering species to provide food
• ensuring that netting used in your garden is ‘bat friendly’. If not sure, use the ‘finger test’ – choose netting that you cannot poke your finger through.
• notifying WIRES on 1300 094 737 if you find an injured flying-fox. Do not attempt to rescue it yourself.
• volunteering to assist sick or injured wildlife. Contact WIRES.

 Check out reported flying fox sightings here.

 

The theme of World Wetlands Day on 2 February 2021 is ‘wetlands and water’. This is because wetlands are key for maintaining and improving water quality, and essential in providing healthy habitats for plants and animals.

The soil and plants in wetlands improve the water quality of downstream waterways by removing harmful bacteria, nutrients, suspended material and pathogens from the water. They also provide protection from floods and storms by absorbing excess water and releasing it slowly back into the catchment.

Blacktown City has 12 natural and constructed wetlands, including the floating wetlands in William Lawson Park, Blacktown International Sports Park and Ropes Crossing.  These floating wetlands contain suspended aquatic plants on the water’s surface, where the plant roots can remove nutrients and help settle sediment.

However, litter and excess nutrients entering waterways has degraded the health of our wetlands.

Help us maintain and improve Blacktown City’s wetlands through these simple actions:

• keep the drain just for rain – wash your car on the lawn instead of on concrete, sweep gutters and driveways rather than hose them, and compost your garden waste
• scoop your poop – pick up dog poo when walking the dog
• don’t trash our waterways – dispose of your waste responsibly by placing your litter in the bin or call Council to book a free household clean up. Residents can book up to 12 collections a year.

We run an annual 'Carp Fish Out' at Lake Woodcroft to help reduce the number of carp degrading the lake. Last year the event removed 166 carp! Our next Carp Fish Out’ will be held on Saturday 13 February 2021 – come and join us by registering here.

Sustainable Living Blacktown is an initiative of Blacktown City Council

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