Waste Services

TAS Composting

Discover compost and commercial composting services in Tasmania

Composting is nature at its best.

Organic matter – anything that has once been alive – will decompose over time into natural fertiliser, known as compost.

It’s a win-win situation. You add food scraps and garden clippings, your waste is kept out of landfill, and you end up with the best soil you’ve ever had.

If you need to dispose of your organic matter rather than use it at home, Tasmania is moving towards a sophisticated commercial composting regime whereby organic waste is picked up turned into valuable compost.

Cradle Coast Waste Management Group region has recently commenced kerbside organics collection, and compost is made at newly commissioned Dulverton Waste Management state-of-the-art food organics and garden organics (FOGO) plant, at Dulverton in North West Tasmania. This plant quickly turns household organic material into a value-added product which generates significant financial return to the member councils through commercial and public sales of compost.

For more information about the plant click here

7 feel-good reasons to start composting today

  1. Compost is super plant food, loaded with nutrients for growing strong, healthy plants
  2. The process encourages soil microbes to flourish, which unlocks more nutrients for plants
  3. Compost-enriched soil lets water move through more easily and won’t get waterlogged
  4. Adding compost helps balance out the essential minerals in the soil
  5. Compost reduces our reliance on chemical or synthetic fertilisers
  6. Worm farms produce a liquid that makes a fantastic fertiliser for the whole garden
  7. Composting is an easy way to keep food scraps and organic waste out of landfill, where it emits methane (a toxic greenhouse gas)

Recent surveys show that we’re putting far too much organic waste in our kerbside bins.

Around 40% of Tasmanian household garbage is made up of food scraps, garden waste, and other organic rubbish.

And it’s all headed for landfill.

Here’s the outrageous reality: we’re paying to dump green waste in a system that’ll generate harmful greenhouse gases.

Isn’t it time to rethink your waste?

Composting at home has never been easier

Not sure how to compost at home?

Good news. Setting up a home compost doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated.

It’s up to you if you choose to buy a purpose-made compost bin or DIY with materials you already have. All it takes is four simple ingredients: a good mix of organic waste, air, water, and a bit of time.

Check out our handy guide to home composting.

There’s a composting solution for every home and any type of organic waste.

Options include compost tumblers, purpose-built bays, compost bins, buckets with holes dug into garden soil, worm farms, and bokashi bins.

No space at your place?

Try services, such as ShareWaste, that help you give your waste a second chance.

The great news is, composts love almost any organic matter.

But to really thrive, your compost needs a good mix of both ‘green’ and ‘brown’ matter. These work together to create compost that has enough air, stays damp rather than wet, and breaks down quickly.

GREENS:

  • Nitrogen-rich matter that rots quickly, but becomes wet and compacted
  • Food scraps, veggie peelings, and eggshells
  • Teabags and coffee grounds
  • Lawn clippings and green garden waste
  • Hair, pet fur, and feathers

BROWNS:

  • Carbon-rich matter is slower to rot, but stays dry and allows air pockets
  • Paper towels, shredded paper, and tissues
  • Egg cartons, pizza boxes, paper plates, and toilet rolls
  • Straw, hay, twigs, dead leaves
  • Wood shavings, wood chips, and sawdust

Pro tip: Cut or rip up large items to help them break down faster. Turning over the compost occasionally also speeds up the process.

Introducing FOGO: a change for the better

Because composting at home isn’t an option for everyone, many council areas in Tasmania now offer kerbside organic waste collection.

It’s called FOGO, which stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics.

Anything you’d put in a home compost can go in your FOGO bin. So too can animal waste, cat litter, and packaging that’s marked with a commercial composting symbol.

Some local councils offer waste transfer station drop-offs or kerbside collection for garden waste, even if FOGO isn’t available in yet.

  • After each collection, start with a layer of cardboard in the bottom of your FOGO bin
  • Layer food scraps with garden clippings, leaves, grass, or paper
  • Wrap animal droppings in paper
  • Keep particularly smelly food waste (such as shellfish, cheese, or meat) in a paper bag in your freezer until just before your bin collection day
  • Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda in the bin to help neutralise odours
  • Hose out your bin from time to time to keep it fresh

Commercial composting is supporting Tasmania from the ground up

  • FOGO waste is sent to commercial composting facilities. They use a ‘hot composting’ model, which kills off weed seeds and anything nasty. So it’s safe for use on farms, public gardens, parks, and resale via wholesalers and retail nurseries.
  • The aim is to bring FOGO services to as many Tasmanians as possible. That’s why our commercial composting facilities are being upgraded to support the load.
  • As well as FOGO bins, you can drop off garden waste at your local waste transfer station for mulching or delivery to a commercial composting facility.
  • More manufacturers are switching to compostable packaging. Some types can be composted at home, whereas some are only suitable for commercial composting. So remember to check the different composting symbols before you chuck.

Our commercial composting facilities are designed to produce top quality compost and efficiently meet the needs of community parks and our own gardens.

Let’s take a closer look at a typical Tasmanian facility:

Step 1: Organic waste from commercial sites and FOGO bins is delivered to the site
Step 2: Material is mixed to balance the nutrient load
Step 3: The organic mix is placed in long windrows (raised lines of material) outside, or in tunnels inside
Step 4: Piles are turned to enhance the texture
Step 5: Temperature probes are used to ensure there’s enough heat to kill pathogens
and weed seeds
Step 6: After 12-16 weeks outdoors or 8 weeks indoors, compost samples are sent for lab testing to make sure it complies
with Australian standards
Step 7: The compost is screened, and larger pieces returned to active windrows
Step 8: The nutrient-rich compost is easy to spread, weed and disease-free, and ready to use

Pro tip: Because commercial composts use a specialised hot composting method, they can process organic waste that we avoid with home composts. This includes animal droppings, noxious weeds, and certain compostable packaging.

Remember, we always love a Good Sort. But not all FOGO collections are the same. Check with your local council about what can – and can’t – go in your FOGO bin.