They say one person's trash is another person's treasure. And as we transition to a circular economy, that's truer than ever. Innovative companies are investing in ways to recover resources that used to go to landfill and transform them into something useful.
Repurpose It is one example right here in Victoria. Their mission is to help transition Australia to a circular economy. The company receives a range of 'waste' materials and processes them into high-quality products for industries like construction, landscaping and horticulture. One of those products is compost made from food and garden scraps that many of us put into our bins at home. Think of things like banana peels, bones, onion skins, apple cores and grass clippings.
Putting peels, pits and prunings to good use
Most Victorians already have a food and garden organics bin or access to a drop-off recycling service. Within a few years, this service will be available across the state.
When you sort food scraps and garden clippings into your lime green bin, and keep out rubbish like glass and plastic items, they'll end up at a composting facility like the one Repurpose It operates in Epping.
Turning this organic material into compost is far better for the environment than putting it into landfill.
"Food and garden organics sent to landfill generate a significant amount of methane, a potent greenhouse gas," explains Jaimen D'Souza, Head of Continuous Improvement and Capital Projects at Repurpose It.
But when organic material is processed into compost, the result is a useful product instead of a harmful gas.
"Producing high-quality, nutrient-rich compost from food and garden organics not only addresses the problem of greenhouse gas emissions. It also improves soil quality and reduces reliance on synthetic fertilisers."
Compost is a treasure trove of nutrients. It helps create healthy soils, which then can grow thriving plants. So, by simply keeping rubbish like fruit stickers, cling wrap and coffee pods out of your food and garden organics bin, you're helping create a valuable resource. Your food scraps from cooking can become compost to help grow crops - and the process keeps repeating over and over. That's what we mean by a 'circular' economy.
