May 2019 saw the installation of a HotRot in-vessel composting system at the Kangaroo Island Resource Recovery Centre (KIRRC), similar to those in use on Lord Howe Island and the Melbourne Zoo.

Composting all Food Organics and Green Organics (FOGO) on the Island - using the HotRot system - delivers a number of benefits, particularly if we further improve the amount of waste we divert from the red bin (which goes to landfill) to the green bin (which can ultimately be used as mulch).

The benefits include:

• Cost savings Currently 33% of the cost of waste management and collection on Kangaroo Island relates to the transport and disposal of waste into landfill on the mainland – better diversion of FOGO to the green bins will reduce these costs.
• Retention On Island composting means valuable compost material can be retained here for domestic and primary production use.
• Environmental There are significant environmental benefits in diverting organic waste material away from landfill, especially considering 40-100kg of methane is produced for every tonne of waste going into landfill for disposal.

The case for on-Island composting arose in a review conducted in 2017-2018 by Kangaroo Island Council (KIC) and the Fleurieu Regional Waste Authority (FRWA) of waste management practices on Kangaroo Island, identifying the need for significant changes and improvements to the processing of recyclable waste materials, including dry recycling (cardboard, paper, hard plastic and glass) and FOGO on the Island.  The review also led to the introduction of kerbside green organics collection to 12 townships and coastal settlements, and fortnightly collection of all three waste streams.

FRWA was successful in two funding applications to Green Industries SA which resulted in the installation of:

• a baler at the KIRRC for dry recyclables, allowing for sorted loads (instead of combined) to be transported off Island
• an in-vessel composting system at the KIRRC.

Together these initiatives will improve the efficiency of the Island's waste management services, adding to the Island’s reputation for environmental management and sustainability.

For more information about the HotRot in-vessell system, click here.