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Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council uses Goterra to process household food waste

The project

Like many councils across Australia, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) provides a household food and garden organics (FOGO) service.

The council’s organics processor was unable to handle the kitchen caddy waste because of the food items it contained and the level of contamination. So QPRC engaged Goterra to process the kitchen waste. Goterra’s black soldier fly larvae consume the waste, converting it into highly sustainable protein and soil enhancer.

Goterra’s involvement offered an elegant, cost effective and environmentally sustainable solution.

The QPRC story

QPRC has provided a household organics service since 2014 to 3 of its townships – Braidwood, Captains Flat and Bungendore – collecting food and garden organics together. The existing organics processor was not able to process food waste, but QPRC was reluctant to remove this from their service offer.

The challenge was to continue to offer a FOGO service to residents, and ensure that all material was recycled back into the economy.

Why QPRC chose Goterra

Goterra’s involvement offered an elegant solution to the problem. It is local to QPRC, environmentally sustainable and cost effective.

The black soldier fly larvae (BSF) used in the Goterra process prefer to consume food waste, so the service complements the garden organics processing ability of the existing organics provider.

Managing food waste with insects is a highly sustainable process. Food waste is converted into protein in a process that produces minimal CO2 and methane emissions. The carbon footprint of managing food waste with BSF is around one third of the impact of composting, and 97% lower than landfill.

Goterra’s solution

Kitchen food waste is collected in biodegradable bags, enabling it to be removed easily from the FOGO stream before processing. Waste is collected and taken to the Bungendore Waste Transfer Station. There it’s separated into food organics and garden organics. The food organics is then taken to Goterra to be processed. Nothing goes to waste.

The results

QPRC and Goterra have been working together for 3 years, processing municipal food waste in a highly sustainable way and preventing it from going to landfill.

Goterra has recycled approximately 10 tonnes of food waste, saving 20 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Partner with us

If your organisation generates organic waste, and you would like to play your part in growing the emerging circular economy in Australia, please get in touch.

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