Kiwi innovators tackle global organic waste crisis

Organic waste is a major contributor to the climate crisis, with food waste alone estimated to contribute 10% of global emissions. When organic materials, including food scraps, cardboard, green waste and bio-solids (from sewerage) are sent to landfills, they release methane, a greenhouse gas that causes 130x more warming than CO2 over a 10-year period.

Landfills also take up wide areas of valuable land near major towns and cities, and they keep on growing.

On top of all this, the vital nutrients contained in those organic materials we throw away are incredibly valuable. They should be recycled back into our farming soils (as compost), reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers and helping us create enough food to feed a growing worldwide population.

The ideal solution is to compost more of our organic waste, a process which massively reduces emissions. But traditional commercial composting takes months and requires large amounts of land. The resulting compost can be inconsistent and odours can be a challenge if the process is not managed effectively.

Thankfully, there are other options. In-vessel composting is one such method which is gaining serious traction, with a Kiwi firm leading the way.

In-vessel composting can turn organic waste into high-value compost in 12 days, in limited space with no odours. This process requires minimal power and can be run continuously, with units available that can process anywhere from 50kg up to 10+ tonnes of organic waste per day.

The system can handle all types of organic waste, including bio-solids from sewerage treatment plants.

The Kiwi company behind this technology, Global Composting Solutions, was founded to help clients save money by transforming waste into a valuable product (compost) and avoid high landfill costs. As the climate crisis escalates, it's becoming obvious that this is actually a world-saving solution, too.

According to the NSW Environmental Protection Agency, processing food waste into compost instead of sending it to landfill reduces emissions by 96%. Better still, the resulting compost is highly sought-after and can be on-sold to local farmers and growers or donated to community projects.

Global Composting Solutions provides systems for every scenario, from a commercial canteen taking care of its organic waste on-site, right up to City Councils that might be managing 50+ tonnes of organic waste per day.

Existing systems provided by Global Composting Solutions are already saving hundreds of tonnes of organic waste from going to landfills every day, all around the world, and they are ready to scale up.

In a world urgently looking for waste management solutions, in-vessel composting is just the kind of technology we need.

If you would like to find out more, visit: globalcomposting.solutions