Dandenong, VIC

Resource Recovery, Victoria

Veolia is currently the leading processor of waste food organics in the metropolitan Melbourne market, through our joint venture in-vessel composting facility (NRS) in Dandenong. This facility is the only metropolitan facility licensed by the EPA to process food waste and has been successfully converting food and garden organic wastes into soil improvement products since 2000.

In-vessel composting is the biological degradation of organic wastes within an enclosed, controlled and monitored aerobic environment. This form of composting takes place within a concrete reactor, using the same principles of managing temperature, humidity and air circulation for optimum aerobic decomposition, via probes, as a bioreactor does. This ensures that naturally occurring micro-organisms are able to convert organic waste material into rich organic soil additives, destroying potentially harmful micro-organisms and weed seeds in the process.

Source-separated organic food waste is processed at the NRS facility to produce AS4454 certified organic growth medium for sale back into the Melbourne market. The in-vessel composting process requires a carefully balanced mix of organics streams to ensure aerobic activity and saleable product quality. The feasibility of the composting process is also influenced by the contamination loading, as plastics and glass (particularly small fragments render the compost product unusable).

Veolia intends to expand its licensed capacity for food organics as we acquire higher volumes of organic waste, as well as constructing a new composting capacity, and refurbishing the existing NRS infrastructure.

The Dandelong site also includes:

  • A liquid treatment plant
  • A Transfer station

Diverts organic material from landfill

Capacity to process 24,000 tonnes of waste per annum

Currently produces pasturised compost certified to Australian Composting Standard AS 4454