Waste solutions provider Cleanaway is primed to deliver a circular solution for Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) in New South Wales.
Organics is one of the fastest-evolving segments of the waste industry as councils adopt kerbside collections in line with State and Federal government mandates to keep food waste out of landfill.
This will be the biggest change in the waste industry for the past 20 years.
For Ash Turner, State Manager for Resource Recovery at Cleanaway’s organics facility in Eastern Creek, it’s an opportunity to play an important role in enabling Australia’s transition to a circular economy.
Ash is leading the shift of Cleanaway’s Eastern Creek facility from red-bin waste treatment to processing Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) into compost for the agricultural sector.
Facility upgrades occurring as part of the transition will increase Cleanaway’s processing capacity at the Western Sydney facility by 35 per cent.
“Cleanaway believes in circularity and the environmental benefits of removing organics from landfill,” Ash says.
“Our process is true circularity. We take food and garden waste, process it into compost and return it to agriculture to improve the soils and yield.
“Additionally, diverting food waste from landfill and processing into compost is a great way to reduce greenhouse gases.”
Organic waste in Australian landfills generates about 13 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide equivalent) annually – about 2.5 per cent of Australia’s total annual emissions – according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
In 2021, the New South Wales Government introduced The NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041, which aims to recover more FOGO to reduce landfill waste. Under the strategy, all councils must roll out a FOGO collection service by 2030.
Ash says the upgrade of the Eastern Creek facility to include FOGO processing is crucial to supporting the state’s transition to FOGO, accounting for almost 30 per cent of the infrastructure required to meet forecasted capacities.
“Cleanaway has invested about $200 million into the FOGO transition in New South Wales,” he says.
“There has been a commitment and an understanding within Cleanaway that this is the right thing to do for the environment and our communities.”
Cleanaway has a history of delivering at-scale waste solutions that provide environmental benefits. Its Blueprint 2030 strategy sets out a goal to be the most sustainable waste management provider in Australia, using innovation to see all waste as a resource and asking, ‘what can it be next?’
To reach that goal it has invested in recycling and landfill diversion infrastructure and the rollout of new waste stream services. In August 2022, Cleanaway acquired Global Renewables Limited (GRL) and has rebranded it to Cleanaway.
Ash says the Eastern Creek facility had a proven track record of removing contamination from waste materials and was well placed to make the change to FOGO with minimal disruption.
Image: Cleanaway
During the past two years, the facility has been upgraded to increase processing capacity. This will output larger volumes of compost to a higher standard, in anticipation of growing customer demand.
In October 2024, the facility started processing FOGO from a number of Sydney metropolitan councils, with more expected to sign on before the end of the year.
Up to 220,000 tonnes of organics can be processed annually, with capacity to expand on application approval.
“Cleanaway saw the need and value for a facility like this and has committed to organics processing in a significant way,” Ash says.
“The move to FOGO alleviates some of the stress on the diminishing landfill space in New South Wales, providing a way to remove organic material from landfill, which has a significant impact on carbon emission equivalents.
“That’s underscored by the fact it is absolute circularity. Food and garden material is processed into compliant compost that goes to agriculture and comes back as quality food products. There are very few steps from kitchen table through to farmland and the benefits are significant.”
Those benefits are being backed up by science. Various trial plots around the state are visibly demonstrating improved soil quality when the compost from Cleanaway’s Eastern Creek facility is applied.
Ash says farm trials with oats indicate a 100 per cent increase in yield when compared to standard fertiliser. A Brassica trial indicates a 240 per cent increase in yield when compared to no compost.
“We’ve adjusted the process to produce a higher bulk density compost,” he says. “It spreads beautifully.
“Farmers have a real earthy connection with it. They say it feels and smells earthy and natural, not like a chemical.”
The secret to a high-quality product, Ash says, is a well-maintained composting process and early decontamination.
At Cleanaway’s Eastern Creek organics facility, quality, compliant product can be produced in four weeks – two weeks in a compost hall and two weeks maturation.
It is monitored for moisture and undergoes a thorough screening process. Feedstock also undergoes various levels of decontamination prior to composting.
The rate of contamination has been raised as an ongoing concern for the Australian Organics Recycling Association because it is difficult and costly for organics processors to remove.
Ash says as the former GRL site, the facility was already well equipped to sort through general waste, remove recyclables and isolate contaminated material. These capabilities have been carried over to the organics processes, giving Cleanaway the ability to reduce contamination and produce a cleaner compost product.
However, education is a crucial way to drive engagement and encourage the right recycling behaviour.
A contamination feedback loop provides reporting on the rate and types of contamination. Cleanaway’s in-house team of educators work closely with a variety of stakeholders such as schools, councils and businesses to build confidence around waste disposal and resource recovery.
Additionally, there is a suite of education resources available to assist the community in reducing FOGO contamination and improving overall recycling rates across Australia.
Ash says this is just another way Cleanaway is working together with local communities, to make a sustainable future possible.
For more information, visit: www.cleanaway.com.au