Green Solutions Wide Bay is spreading the word of quality compost through the local community.
Since March 2021, Green Solutions Wide Bay has provided a free, environmentally-friendly green waste disposal service for residents in Queensland’s Bundaberg Region.
Established as an offshoot of Greensill Farming – one of Australia’s largest producers of sweet potato, sugar cane and peanuts – Green Solutions collects and processes green waste into compost and mulch to enrich its parent company’s crops.
Nathan Freeman, Green Solutions Wide Bay General Manager, says the compost demanded by Greensill’s year-round sweet potato farming necessitated a dedicated facility – one that would support both the business and community in a quest for sustainability.
“It’s a state-of-the-art open windrow composting facility,” he says. “We take green waste from the public for free, which we process into compost and mulch for our farms.
“We’ve got mums and dads dropping off their lawn clippings, as well as lawn mowing and tree lopping businesses. We also serve several not-for-profits and government agencies, such as the Bundaberg Regional Council.”
The business has scaled its operation up quickly, processing about 10,500 tonnes of raw material in its first year, and is projected to reach 20,000-tonne by the end of its second.
Sustainable communities
While supplying compost for Greensill Farming is the primary focus of the Green Solutions business, supporting and engaging with the local community is also a driving force.
A free green waste disposal service is valuable to the community, as is offering good quality compost and mulch products for purchase.
Green Solutions has courtesy trailers available every day of the week for both collection and delivery. But Nathan says it’s important to give back to the community in other ways too.
The business recently established the Sustainable Schools initiative – a way to engage the next generation on the benefits of recycling green waste.
Nathan says the program is not just about teaching good waste management practices, but is designed to provide students an appreciation of the circular process of food production.
“We donate compost to participating schools, which they can use for their veggie patches and gardens,” Nathan says. “We also send one of our agronomists out to consult on types of plants, and how to get the most out of their gardens.
“Then, we’ll arrange excursions to our facility, where students get a full tour and learn the whole process of turning green waste into compost.”
The program can be tailored to any year level – from teaching good recycling habits to prep pupils, to biodiversity and micro-organisms to year 12s.
“We go through the whole system,” Nathan says. “We want kids to develop an understanding of how healthy soils create healthy plants.
“One of the first participating schools grew their own veggies, which they then used in their tuckshop – so they were able to generate an economic return, which was invested in the next year’s crop.”
Nathan says Green Solutions is expanding the program into tertiary education, and is currently working with a local university to narrow down a PhD candidate to support in a three-year full-time role.
“We’ll work together to build our understanding of what’s happening with the compost – how we process it, what we could adjust for a better outcome,” he says.
The green machines
The success of Green Solutions’ operation relies heavily on three key pieces of machinery supplied by Komptech CEA: a Crambo 5200D shredder, a Topturn X55 compost turner, and a Nemus 2700 drum screen.
“Green waste material is ground up with the Crambo – either at the facility or offsite,” Nathan says. “Then we put it into the windrows, where we run the turner across the top to turn the product. Once that process is complete, it goes through the drum screen at the end.”
The decision to go with Komptech machinery started with the Crambo shredder, as its lower speed high-torque operation enabled the processing of a wide range of material – something Nathan says might challenge a high-speed grinder.
“We get material in a fairly raw form, and the Crambo is able to shred large, bulky items like tree stumps,” he says.
From that point, the business went with Komptech for the drum screen and, most crucially, the Topturn compost turner.
“The Topturn is very quick, and can deliver water directly into the windrows as it goes,” Nathan says. “We can turn a 100-metre-long windrow in under six minutes.”
He says it’s clear a lot of thought has gone in to how Komptech machines are designed, which is reflected in how robust and reliable they’ve been for Green Solutions. And he’s confident that any potential issues can be quickly resolved.
“The Komptech CEA team has been a great support for our business,” he says.
“They provide good sales support and good service. They’re always very keen to come and visit the site, and they’ll help us change out and trial different screens before we invest in something new.
“They provide technical support to our in-house service team if needed. They’re always just a phone call away.”
For more information, visit: www.greensolutionswidebay.com.au
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