Preliminary work has started on Australia’s first commercial Waste-to-resource plant being built at the Hawkesbury City Waste Management Facility at South Windsor.
ARC Ento Tech is building the state-of-the-art plant which aims to convert 85 percent of the waste within the facility into valuable resources.
Hawkesbury City Council is currently working with NSW EPA to attain the required regulatory approvals after the Hawkesbury Planning Panel gave the green light for the installation of the temporary shelters associated with the trial.
The one-year trial will initially process and divert 20 tonnes of putrescible waste per day converting it into fertiliser, biofuel and livestock feed instead of burying it in landfill. It will help extend the life of the waste management facility and reduce methane emissions from food and other organic matter decomposing in the landfill.
The ARC Process™ developed in Australia uses the black soldier fly larvae to feed on the putrescible waste from the weekly red bin collections and excrete a by-product that can be collected and potentially used or on-sold as a valuable fertiliser.
The larvae themselves have the potential to be on-sold as livestock feed at the end of their lifecycle. Residual organic and inorganic by-products are also captured for processing and repurposing as a biofuel. The black soldier fly is not attracted to homes or humans.
Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather said the trial was an innovative addition to council’s efforts to reduce waste, to the benefit of all residents. “All current predictions show Greater Sydney’s existing landfill capacity will run out by 2030, including the Hawkesbury facility. This is a huge problem for all Sydney councils, not just the Hawkesbury.
“This trial has the potential to extend the life of our landfill, giving our residents greater certainty around the ongoing provision of an affordable and sustainable waste service, but more than that, it has the potential to revolutionise how we manage waste across the country and I’m very proud that Council and our staff are leading the way.
“I look forward to the results of this trial and a positive path forward for our city’s waste management,” he said.
Adam McArdle, CEO of ARC Ento Tech, said: “Our partnership with Hawkesbury City Council is a crucial step in demonstrating that the waste ending up in landfills holds significant commercial value. With our ARC Process™ technology, we are not only reducing landfill dependency but also unlocking the potential of waste as a valuable resource. This project provides solid proof that sustainable waste management is achievable and offers a scalable model that can be adapted by private and government stakeholders worldwide.”
He said other councils were looking at the ARC Process™ technology.
ARC Ento Tech is an Australian biotechnology company determined to solve one of the biggest environmental problems plaguing the world today – Mixed Solid Waste. Its slogan is: From Wasteful to Resourceful www.arcentotechltd.com.au.
