Partnering together, The borough of Queenscliff, Barwon Water and five other regional councils, are seeking to develop new ways of turning food items and garden waste into useable products. Now that the project is underway, they are open to community input.
The Regional Renewable Organics Network Facility project, developed in response to rising waste costs, capacity constraints, and a desire to make our region more sustainable, is expected to process 40,000 tonnes of organic waste each year.
By using a combination of heat treatment and bacterial digestion, this process would benefit local agriculture by supplying them with high quality fertiliser. The location of the state of the art facility will be on a small section of Barwon Waters Black Rock Water Reclamation Plant in Connewarre.
Barwon Water managing director Tracey Slatter said the Regional Renewable Organics Network would deliver significant environmental, economic and community benefits for the region.
“The network would divert waste from landfill, reduce our impact on the environment, help keep waste costs under control and create local jobs,” Ms Slatter said “The Regional RON will lead the way in our region’s transition to a circular economy, where materials are continually reused and recycled to increase their lifespan, add value and reduce waste,” she said. “We are delighted to be partnering with local government for this unique and exciting project.”
Queenscliffe Mayor Ross Ebbels said the project’s environmental benefits were important to the Council, which is rolling out its Climate Emergency Response Plan in a bid to make the community carbon-neutral by 2031.
“This facility is expected to reduce total carbon emissions from our region’s waste processes by up to 15,000 tonnes every a year, while generating enough electricity to power 500 homes,” Cr Ebbels said. “Being able to not only reduce the environmental impact of our organic waste but to turn it into a useful product is exactly the kind of innovative thinking we need in the fight against climate change.”
Whilst this concept is clearly beneficial to the Agricultural sector and possibly the gardening consumer, in order to further develop the concept, both the Borough of Queenscliff and Barwon Water need your input to help the project achieve success.
Consultation is now open for the project, and residents can learn more and share their ideas at Barwon Water’s RRON project page, with feedback closing on 26 November 2021.
There will also be a series of community webinars held by Barwon Water, to give the community a chance to ask questions and give suggestions in the early stages of the projects design.
Cr Ebbels said that hearing from the community was essential to the project’s success:-
“We know a lot of our residents have great ideas about making our region more sustainable, and we want to hear what you think,” Cr Ebbels said. “Sharing your ideas for the Regional Renewable Organics Network will help us make the facility a win for everyone.”
For further information, please make contact via Barwon Waters website.
