Debunking common composting myths.
Composting is often shrouded in misconceptions. Some envision foul-smelling piles that require costly high-tech systems, while others question whether composting can truly scale to meet modern waste challenges.
With Australia’s ambitious organics diversion targets in place, including a national goal to halve organic waste diverted from landfills by 2030, separating fact from fiction is more important than ever.
Scott Woods, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Generation, says the reality, backed by data and decades of experience, is that today’s advanced composting technologies are busting old myths and delivering sustainable solutions. He addresses some of the most common misconceptions about composting, with insights from industry experts.
Myth 1: Composting requires complex, expensive infrastructure
Fiction: Only elaborate in-vessel digesters or concrete tunnel systems can manage odours and emissions.
Fact: Modern aerated static pile (ASP) composting with engineered covers achieves in-vessel performance without the complexity or cost.
Concrete tunnels and anaerobic digestion often fall short due to their complexity, high capital costs, and operational challenges. In contrast, covered ASP systems use computerised aeration and breathable membrane covers to create an ideal microclimate.
These systems are simpler to install and operate than digesters yet can match or exceed their performance.
The SG Mobile System was designed as a robust solution that can be rapidly deployed to meet urgent organics recycling needs, something large, fixed facilities often struggle to do.
Effective composting doesn’t require a massive concrete in-vessel structure. Smarter, streamlined, covered ASP systems can deliver the same outcomes at a fraction of the investment.
Myth 2: Composting always smells and pollutes the air
Fiction: Decomposing waste inevitably smells and emits harmful gases, making composting incompatible with communities.
Fact: Properly managed, covered composting virtually eliminates odour and emissions.
In a recent California project, SG Advanced Composting Technology with GORE Cover demonstrated 97.5 per cent odour reduction, 98 per cent volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions control, clear separation of stormwater from leachate during adverse weather events, and production of a stable and mature final compost.
The results of independent tests from a nine-month program debunk the odour myth emphatically: composting, when done with the right technology, does not have to smell or pollute.
In fact, facilities using SG’s covered ASP systems consistently achieve more than 95 per cent odour and VOC reductions, meeting California’s toughest air district standards. Rather than being a nuisance, composting can be a clean operation that turns organic waste into valuable resources.
Myth 3: Composting can’t scale for big cities or climate goals
Fiction: Composting is fine for small operations, but large cities or regions need incineration or landfill to handle volumes and meet regulations.
Fact: Large-scale facilities around the world prove that composting can scale and comply with the strictest standards.
New York City’s Department of Sanitation, for example, expanded its Staten Island compost facility using the SG Bunker System with GORE Covers to process tens of thousands of tonnes of food waste annually.
This covered ASP system provides an enclosed, aerated environment without the need for a building, achieving “in-vessel” control in an open-air setting. The result is a high-throughput operation that meets rigorous odour and pollution controls, aligning with local and state requirements.
Likewise, in California and other jurisdictions with aggressive organics laws such as SB 1383, which mandates 75 per cent diversion, covered composting systems have risen to the challenge. They consistently meet or exceed compliance targets, from pathogen kill requirements to air emissions limits, even at industrial scales.
With modular designs and smart controls, facilities can start small and expand capacity as needed, all while staying within environmental thresholds.
Composting is no longer a cottage industry; it’s an industrial-scale solution helping cities and states hit their waste reduction and climate goals.
The bottom line
Composting technology has evolved, shattering the myths that once held it back. Far from being smelly, slow, or inferior, modern composting, exemplified by SG Advanced Composting Technology and GORE Cover, is efficient, clean, and scalable.
It transforms organic refuse into valuable resources safely and reliably, whether at a rural farm or the heart of a major city.
When done with today’s advanced methods, composting is more fact than fiction. It stands as a proven cornerstone of sustainable waste management.
For more information, visit: www.sustainable-generation.com
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