Published on 10 February 2021
Some 4500 tonnes of organic waste has been converted into compost in the past year at Wangaratta’s Organics Processing Plant.
Wangaratta is one of the first councils in Victoria to construct an organic composting plant that caters for food and garden waste. The plant has been operational for just over a year, after becoming the first of its kind to gain Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) approval.
Organic waste from residents’ kitchens and gardens is transported to the Bowser East facility, where it passes through a shredder, before spending three weeks in temperature-controlled bunkers, where all seeds and pathogens are killed. After the bunkers the organic matter is then put in windrows, where it is turned and watered regularly for two months until the compost is ready to be used.
Initially the compost has been used for capping the nearby Bowser Landfill, though there are plans to make the compost available to sell to residents in the near future.
The Rural City of Wangaratta has recruited 2 full-time employees to process the compost at the Organics Processing Plant.