An additional 33,000 tonnes of food waste will be diverted from landfill each year, reducing landfill emissions by almost 50,000 tonnes of CO-2 equivalent, thanks to the latest round of NSW Government funding for organics processing infrastructure.
Environment Minister James Griffin said a new, commercial scale maggot farm in Raymond Terrace that turns food waste into animal feed will receive part of the $2.3 million funding.
“Maggot-farming is one of many emerging technologies that can help us better manage our food waste, instead of sending it to landfill,” Mr Griffin said.
“This project will use black soldier fly larvae to process organic waste at the Suez Resource Recovery Park in the lower Hunter. This, along with additional mobile facilities, will process about 9,000 tonnes of food waste annually.”
“A plant that generates energy from food waste and produces a substance that can be used to improve soils will come to life thanks to a grant of more than $638,000 for Sydney Water.
“And organics processing facilities turning food waste into compost are being supported in Hay and Upper Hunter Shire Councils with $503,000 and $70,000 NSW Government funding respectively.”
The four projects are supported by the NSW Government’s Waste Less Recycle More Organics Infrastructure Large and Small (OILS) grants program.
Another eight projects announced yesterday received $5 million from the NSW Government and matched funding from the Australian Government’s Food Waste for Healthy Soils Fund.
Since 2013, the NSW Government has invested more than $42 million through its Waste Less Recycle More Organics Infrastructure Large and Small (OILS) grants program, increasing processing capacity for organics waste in NSW by 842,000 tonnes a year.
“Unfortunately in NSW, more than a third of the waste we send to landfill is food, and as that food decomposes, it creates emissions,” Mr Griffin said.
“These investments are supporting our commitment to halve the amount of organic waste sent to landfill, and reach net zero emissions from organic waste in landfill by 2030.”
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