A City of Sydney waste trial will see food scraps from up to 4000 homes diverted from landfill, and used to create green energy and plant fertiliser.
The trial involves separate collection and recycling of food scraps from residential properties in the council area.
Participating households have received a small kitchen caddy to store food scraps, an initial supply of compostable caddy liners and a food scraps bin to be placed on the kerb for pick up.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the trial was an important step in the evolution of waste collection, and a critical component of the city’s waste strategy and action plan, endorsed by council in 2017.
“There have been many advancements in waste separation technology, but the most effective method is when our residents separate the waste themselves at the source,” Ms Moore said.
“Food scraps generally make up one-third of the average red lid bin, so this trial will divert a significant amount of waste from landfill.”
The collected waste will be sent to EarthPower, Australia’s first food waste-to-energy processing facility.
“The scraps will be processed using anaerobic digestion technology, where microorganisms break down biodegradable material in a chamber without oxygen,” Ms Moore said.
“This process produces biogas, which is converted to green electricity and a nutrient-rich sludge that is dried and granulated to produce nutrient rich fertiliser.”
330 houses and 53 inner-city apartment blocks have been selected to take part in the trial.
“If successful, we’ll look at providing this service across the entire council area,” Ms Moore said.
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