Cleanly and efficiently reducing waste going into Council landfill, while also creating a valuable resource? It is possible and Council is proud to be leading the way!
Hawkesbury City Council is partnering with ARC Ento Tech to trial one of Australia's first waste-to-resource facilities at the Hawkesbury Waste Management Facility with the aim of initially diverting 20 tonnes of putrescible waste per day as part of the small-scale trial, converting it into fertiliser, biofuel and livestock feed instead of burying it in landfill.
The Hawkesbury Planning Panel yesterday gave the green light for the installation of the temporary shelters associated with the trial. Council is currently working with NSW EPA to attain the required regulatory approvals to run the trial.
The twelve-month trial is to help extend the life of the waste management facility and reduce methane emissions from food and other organic matter decomposing in the landfill.
The process uses the black soldier fly – an insect endemic in Australia. This fly is not attracted to homes or humans. The fly larvae feed on the putrescible waste from Council's weekly red bin collections and excrete a by-product that can be collected and potentially used or on-sold as a valuable fertiliser. The larvae themselves have the potential to be on-sold as livestock feed at the end of their lifecycle. Residual organic and inorganic by-products are also captured for processing and repurposing as a biofuel.
Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather said the trial was an innovative addition to Council's efforts to reduce waste, to the benefit of all residents.
"All current predictions show Greater Sydney's existing landfill capacity will run out by 2030, including the Hawkesbury facility. This is a huge problem for all Sydney councils, not just the Hawkesbury," Mayor Sheather said.
"This trial has the potential to extend the life of our landfill, giving our residents greater certainty around the ongoing provision of an affordable and sustainable waste service, but more than that, it has the potential to revolutionise how we manage waste across the country and I'm very proud that Council and our staff are leading the way.
"I look forward to the results of this trial and a positive path forward for our City's waste management."
The trial and future facility would be operated within the agreements of the existing waste facility, meaning no additional impacts on the surrounding environment.
