The use of biofilter technology is helping Orange City Council reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfill. Waste in Council-managed landfills makes up more than 60 per cent of Council's carbon emissions, mostly due to organic material, making it a significant contributor to the city's carbon footprint.
When organic material such as food, garden clippings, wood chips and even paper or cardboard is buried in landfill without oxygen, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as it breaks down. As part of Council's Landfill Gas Management Project, pipes laid in the landfill at the Euchareena Road Resource Recovery Centre (ERRRC) direct the greenhouse gases towards special filters, which use organic material, usually compost, to break down the methane.
This significantly reduces the potency of the greenhouse gases emitted and is a simple, low cost, low-maintenance system that can reduce methane emissions by 90 per cent.
However, Orange City Council's Environmental Sustainability Community Committee Chair, Cr David Mallard, says the best way to reduce greenhouse gases is to divert organic matter from landfill in the first place.
"The Landfill Gas Management Project is a major step towards reducing and accurately measuring greenhouse gas emissions from our landfills, as part of our Net Zero commitment and Emissions Reduction Plan," Cr Mallard said.
"While these biofilters are expected to make a huge difference to our landfill emissions, the most effective way to reduce emissions is to minimise the quantity of organic materials in landfill.
"For this, we rely on households to avoid sending waste to landfill wherever possible by using the recycling services available. Most notably, using the green lid bin for all your food scraps and garden clippings."
Food scraps and garden clippings thrown into the green lid Food Organics, Garden Organics or FOGO bin are transferred to the ERRRC to be composted. When the organic materials break down in the presence of oxygen it minimises the production of methane and greenhouse gases. The compost is then bought by local gardeners, viticulturalists and farmers, as well as used for mining rehabilitation.
It is important to ensure that only food scraps and garden clippings go into this bin. Paper is allowed only to use as a caddy liner, otherwise no packaging is permitted in the green lid FOGO bin as this contaminates the compost. Honey products are also excluded to comply with the operational development consent requirements.
Visit the waste page to learn more.
