Wangaratta Becomes Leaders in Organic Waste Reduction

Published on 11 May 2020

The Rural City of Wangaratta has announced the completion of the Organics Processing Facility Project, making it the first council in Victoria to be able to convert food and other green waste into organic compost.

The facility was recently granted Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) approval and will significantly improve the community’s renewable resources, currently collecting approximately 3650 tonnes of household and garden organic waste each year and turning it into compost rather than sending it to landfill. The plant is capable of composting 18,000t per year which Council hopes to reach this figure in coming years.

“We are proud to be the first council in Victoria to construct an organic composting plant that caters for food and garden waste,” said Alan Clark, Director of Infrastructure Services for Rural City of Wangaratta.

“It’s been a long time coming, almost six years, but it has been worth the wait. This facility will provide an economic boost to the Wangaratta community.”

The community-based project features seven compost bunkers with aeration and a 25m x 50m receival processing shed which were established by local construction group, Browns Wangaratta.

“This facility will be such a great help to our community in many ways. By producing organic compost from waste that would’ve otherwise ended up in landfill, we can collectively reduce our greenhouse gas emissions significantly,” said Mr Clark.

“We are then able to share our compost with local farmland, enhancing the quality of our produce.”

The Organic Processing Facility is surrounded by agricultural land near Byawatha Road, approximately 6km to the north-east of Wangaratta.

The project commenced in 2018, with $500,000 in funding invested by Sustainability Victoria.