Organic waste has been a low-lying issue for some time - in particular as the volumes have grown and the potential for (at least) district approaches become more interesting. I am not sure if this is all going to work, but it is certainly moving in the right direction.
Now if we could just use this logic to get over the old "picking winners" silliness with the solar industry...
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith announced the Metropolitan Organics Plan and funding package today at the Veolia Environmental Services Natural Recovery Systems organics recycling facility in Dandenong South.Minister Smith said the package would help build and support a network of new organics recycling facilities for metropolitan Melbourne and help develop viable markets for the end-product, such as composts and fertilisers.“Through total funding of $3.8 million under the Metropolitan Organics Plan, the Victorian Government is re-investing the landfill levy directly into measures that will improve organics recovery and realise its full potential as a resource,” Mr Smith said.“The first step in the process will be the development of a new facility at Bulla, north of Melbourne. Much like the facility we are at today in Dandenong, it will take tonnes of food and garden waste from 11 councils in Melbourne’s north and process it into valuable compost. This will be supported by additional facilities in the south-east and east of Melbourne.“The investment outlined in the Metropolitan Organics Plan will allow further development of new technologies that can produce compost, fertilisers, and potentially fuels, from our organic waste. “This plan will help kick start Victoria’s new direction in practical sustainability – one that I hope may redefine the way Victoria thinks about ‘waste’ and invests in resource recovery,” Mr Smith said.Of the $3.8 million, $3.3 million will be spent to support the Metropolitan Organics Plan, led by Metropolitan Waste Management Group with local councils, which includes:• the north-west metropolitan garden and food organics program to complement the new north-west organics facility at Bulla. The program includes initiatives to accelerate collection and processing of garden and food organics through existing systems;
• a procurement process in the south-east which will include a feasibility study to identify a suitable location for an organics facility in south-east Melbourne; and • upgrades to resource recovery centres and examination of transfer stations across Melbourne to assist in larger loads of materials being sent to processing and disposal facilities.
