A state-of-the-art composting facility has opened in northwest Tasmania, ready to process food and garden organics from six regional councils. The facility will be capable of processing 50,000 tonnes of organic waste, reducing the amount going to landfill.
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00:00Tasmania's waste problem is piling up.
00:05Each Tasmanian generates on average a tonne or more of waste that goes to landfill each year.
00:12And while some landfill can keep being used for decades, others are nearly full.
00:17It has this long term cost that most people don't think about.
00:20Finding a new site is very expensive and challenging.
00:23This new state-of-the-art composting facility at Doverton near Devonport could be part of the answer.
00:30Across regional and rural Australia, the tyranny of distance and small population base
00:35means traditionally it's cost effective to throw most household waste into landfill like this.
00:42But over time, as that organic matter breaks down,
00:45it releases methane into the atmosphere and leachate into nearby waterways,
00:50causing problems that extend far beyond the life of the landfill.
00:54The $32 million facility is the first of its kind in Tasmania.
00:59It will be able to handle 50,000 tonnes of organic waste,
01:04putting it in specially designed tunnels where it is turned into high quality compost,
01:09all without spilling a drop.
01:11If you look across the state, we're the only in-vessel facility,
01:14so others are making compost but out in the open.
01:17And with the Tasmanian winters and the wet springs that we can have,
01:21that's really challenging to do.
01:23The benefit for FOGO as a community is that in collecting all that material,
01:27we know we can move between 40 and 60 per cent out of your regular landfill bin.
01:32That compost can be used by farmers like Paul Bennett.
01:35We've been here at Ashgrove buying compost off of Doverton for over 10 years now.
01:40We use compost to build up the profile of the soil.
01:43Closing the loop on Tasmania's organic waste challenge.