We've partnered with innovative waste management company GoTerra to roll out the Compost Network (previously known as BioPak Compost Service) to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. Through the service, Canberra businesses will be able to send BioPak compostable foodservice packaging, along with food scraps, to be composted rather than ending up in a landfill.
With consumers becoming increasingly more conscious of environmental issues, adopting sustainable business practices can help you stand out from the competition and be recognised. And that’s exactly what forward-thinking Canberra businesses are doing.
Following the successful launch of its compost collection service in 2017, Australia’s leading sustainable foodservice packaging brand BioPak has partnered with GoTerra to further expand the end-of-life options for compostable packaging along with food waste to Australia’s capital.
Under the service, Canberra businesses and their staff and customers will be able to dispose of used coffee cups, compostable takeaway food packaging, and food scraps in specially designed collection bins placed at local cafes or workplaces.
These organic waste bins will be collected weekly and sent to GoTerra facilities to be processed. Designed with high waste volumes in mind, GoTerra’s modular unit creates waste management capacity without the hauling and trucking required with more conventional waste management systems.
The GoTerrasystems manage food waste and compostable packaging in robotic insect farms where Black Soldier Fly larvae consume waste inside the units. The systems are fully automated, biosecure and able to manage 5,000 kilograms of food waste per day.
BioPak Founder and Sustainability Director Richard Fine said the aim of the service was to ensure that the environmental benefit of compostable, single-use disposable packaging could be maximised, helping customers in reducing the environmental impact of their business.
“In Australia, we send more than eight million tonnes of organic waste to landfill every year, including 1.5 million tonnes of food waste,” Mr Fine said.
“The problem with this is that when food waste decomposes in landfills, it releases methane, which is a greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, resulting in enormous damage to our environment.
“Switching to compostable foodservice packaging, including compostable coffee cups coupled with these innovative waste management solutions, can divert much of this material from going to landfill.”
GoTerra Founder and CEO Olympia Yarger said the partnership allows more businesses to reduce their waste to landfill and create useful resources instead.
“Our system consumes waste rapidly and when our insects are done eating they can be used as a livestock protein or in industrial applications. As with any process, it is important to manage health, safety and quality through rigorous testing, research and ongoing assessment of our processes,” said Ms Farger.
In addition, the insects create frass, an all-natural fertiliser contains packed with nutrient and minerals.
Across Australia and New Zealand, the Compost Network has already diverted over 660,000 kilograms of organic waste from landfill with more than 200 businesses part of the Compost Club – a directory celebrating the many businesses pioneering this circular solution across the region. Just one business signing up to the compost network can reduce its contribution to landfill by up to 60 per cent.
Photo credit: Aditya Joshi via Unsplash
