MEMBER for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead welcomed Mid Coast Councils successful application for a $340,000 NSW Government grant to help keep food and garden waste out of landfill.

This Environmental Trust grant is part of the NSW Government’s Organics Infrastructure Large and Small grant program, funded under the government’s $465.7 million Waste Less Recycle More initiative.

Mr Bromhead said the project funding will be used to construct and operate an aerated static pile composting facility based on the Mobile Aerated Floor system at it’s Buckets Way Waste Management Centre.

Council’s existing kerbside organics collection service will be expanded to include food waste. Additional organic inputs will be sought from the commercial sector.

It is anticipated that up to 12,000 tonnes per annum of organic material will be composted and sold to a variety of customers, including landscape suppliers, farmers, horticulturist as well as council for use in its parks, playing fields and nature strips.

“Finding new ways to reuse and recycle food and garden waste is an important part of the NSW Government’s waste strategy and an integral component of our strategy for diverting our overall rates of waste into landfill,” Mr Bromhead said.

This project is one of 24 projects to share in more than $13 million of round 3 grant funding.

“Almost half of the waste in household red-lid bins that goes to landfill in NSW is food and garden waste that could instead be processed into compost or, in the case of good quality surplus food, be redistributed to people in need,” Environment Minister Mark Speakman said.

The government has committed $43 million over five years to improving organics infrastructure as part of the Waste Less Recycle More initiative.

This initiative also includes funding for business recycling, market development, managing problem wastes, new waste infrastructure, local councils and programs to tackle illegal dumping and litter.