GREATER Bendigo could slash emissions if it allows a company to feed tens of thousands of tonnes of compost into custom-built "tunnels" next to Huntly's livestock exchange.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council has revealed a plan to transform six-hectares of land using German-engineered composting tunnels to break down Bendigo's organics and garden waste.
Building a composting facility on the council-owned site next to Huntly's Bendigo Livestock Exchange could slash the carbon belched into the atmosphere by kerbside organics collections by 16.3 per cent, the council estimates.
That is because it currently carts that waste to Stanhope.
The council has revealed both the six hectares of council-owned land and the identity of the company that would build and run the plant.
Geelong's Western Composting Technology would lease the land and run the Horstmann-WTT tunnel plant.
It would use tunnels to fast-track the composting process from 12 weeks to two.
Idea already used widely in Europe
The council says the technology is "tried and tested".
Western Composting Technology already runs similar facilities in places like Shepparton.
There, it uses 25-metre-long concrete tunnels using forced air systems to maintain oxygen levels, along with a water system to keep up the moisture needed for the best microbial activity.
The facility is similar to more than 600 already operating in Europe, according to Western Composting Technology's website.
Bendigo's council would initially sign off on a 20,000-tonne contract but the Huntly facility would have room to grow by a third depending on demand.
It could allow other groups including nearby councils to use the site.
The idea will need to win "transparent planning and regulatory approvals" before composting begins, the council says.
The council says there would likely be enough of a buffer zone between the site and the livestock exchange.
Hopes of cashing in on 'circular economy'
The council says Bendigo needs to re-gear its economy and slash waste to meet multiple state government and local government targets.
It has been racing to find solutions before Eaglehawk's landfill hits capacity in 2023.
It will not open a new landfill and instead rely on transfer stations for what it hopes will be a dwindling amount of unusable waste.
The "circular economy" push would help bring new economic opportunities, including six jobs at the Huntly composting tunnel, the council said.
The compost facility is one of four circular economy ideas the council has whittled down from a larger shortlist.
It is also looking at a small-scale energy plant fed by waste, adding soft plastics for road base and research on ways manufacturers can use some recycled materials.
Clarification - 9.30am, September 15: A previous version of this story suggested the council would seek approvals for the tunnels. Western Composting Technology will. It plans to build the facility and the council would lease it the land to process the city's organic waste.
Now just one tap with our new app. Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser. See how to download it below:
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
