With increased density levels on the rise in most major cities, apartment living is becoming a major part of the housing solution for modern Australia. With these developments now housing hundreds of families, the traditional methodology for waste collection services has proven to be problematic in most communities for a myriad of reasons.
Escalating density and environmental awareness of the generation buying into these complexes, sustainability has become a key feature in design and implementation. There is now a greater consideration being placed on organics, where previously the focus was largely on energy management and water conservation.
With the construction of the Burwood Brickworks master plan, Frasers Property Australia has sought to create a truly sustainable environment for its residents and visitors. Burwood Brickworks shopping centre was recently the first retail centre globally to attempt, and achieve, Living Building Challenge® Petal Certification from the International Living Future Institute – and now widely is recognised as the most sustainable shopping centre in the world. Amongst its other sustainability credentials, Burwood Brickworks has also already achieved a 6 Star Green Star Communities rating and 6 Star Green Star Design rating certification from the Green Building Council of Australia.
Having achieved sustainability excellence in the retail space of Burwood Brickworks, Fraser Property has explored sustainable solutions to address the issue of organic waste being produced by the new residents of the Burwood Brickworks. Frasers Property sought an innovative sustainable solution to process the organic waste of the residents of the appropriately named ‘Garden Apartments’, in a manner that can benefit the environment, have a minimal impact on the day to day operations of the precinct and most importantly simplify things for the residents.
All previous technologies and solutions designed to address this issue are not self-managing. They require intervention and double handling by building supervisors. Together, Eco Guardians working closely with Fraser Property Australia commissioned the first Eco Guardians Residential Organic Waste System in the southern hemisphere. Located in the underground car park, the self-service system is accessible to everyone and can repurpose up to 100 kg of food waste per day. Accessible to the residents for much of each day with the process completing overnight. It features an interactive interface, with onboard weighing capabilities for easy disposal into the machine. This innovative system includes data reporting down to each apartment, thus allowing users to directly see the positive environmental impact they are having. The output created is a pathogen-free nutrient-rich organic fertiliser (SoilFood™) that will be deployed back onto the soils and gardens of the Burwood Brickworks precinct.
Since its installation in early April of 2021, the Residential Organic Waste System has been embraced by residents within the Burwood Brickworks community.
Raising awareness and changing the mindset of people when it comes to food waste is no easy task. However, in the short period of time since its installation and largely due to its ease of use, the system has already been positively embraced by 40 apartments and has been used over 240 times.
The preliminary work done by the early-adopting residents has resulted in the onsite processing of 263 kg of food waste and has yielded more than 50kg of nutrient-rich SoilFood™ that is ready for distribution onto the soils and gardens of the Burwood Brickworks community. In fact, the more sustainably conscious residents also want to get their hands on it.
SoilFood™ is a slow-release organic fertiliser that is safe to use on all plants and soils. It has been scientifically tested and qualified to improve overall plant and soil health, rendering it a sustainable option for a variety of environments throughout Australia both from an urban and rural perspective.
This is a great start given it is voluntary for the residents with the uptake increasing weekly.
Eco Guardians equipment has the capability of processing all the residents' food waste easily and conveniently across a whole range of developments. The environmental benefits, as well as an amenity for the residents when including these systems, cannot be understated.
Please contact Eco Guardians for further information ….
