Big business in cutting landfill: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is among hundreds of QLD businesses not wasting its rubbish

More Queensland businesses are eyeing the commercial returns from repurposing waste, with hundreds of companies signing up for special systems

MORE Queensland businesses are eyeing the commercial returns from repurposing waste, with hundreds of companies signing up for special systems.

Environmental waste management giant SUEZ said that it had gained more than 200 businesses in Brisbane to its food scrap business since August 2018 including Gasworks, Eat Street, South Bank Corporation and Mirvac’s Toombul Shopping Centre.

After the success of the pilot ­program in Brisbane, it has expanded to the Gold Coast where another 20 businesses have signed on. About seven tonnes of food scraps gen­erated onsite from food outlets and food donations is collected each month and taken to be turned into high-grade compost.

One of the latest to join is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where all its food waste is processed into a pulp, before being taken by SUEZ to an Ipswich business to be ­composted.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary general manager Michael Kelly said it has used some of the nutrient-rich compost made from the scraps on its many gardens.

“Obviously, as a sanctuary which sees 600,000 people come through our doors, we generate a bit of organic waste,” Mr Kelly said. “It was important to us to generate a sustainable way forward.”

SUEZ has also helped Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary recycle other waste streams such as glass, plastics and paper.

Suez's Liesl Hull with some of the compost at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

SUEZ’s Queensland sales manager Liesl Hull said when Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary came on board it meant finding a bespoke solution.

“Composting onsite wasn’t an option, as it could attract vermin that affect resident wildlife. So we introduced them to our partner NuGrow, which runs a composting ­facility near Ipswich,” she said.

“Through NuGrow, we were able to transform the liquefied rotting food scraps into nutrient-rich soil.”

Ms Hull said that each kilo of compostable waste meant it was diverted from landfill and also prevented 1.9kg of greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere.

She said the success of the program showed companies wanted to be proactive in cutting landfill and emissions.

“We started this service with the truck in Brisbane and we have nearly doubled the amount of tonnage of food waste that we are diverting to landfill,” she said.