Plans for $15 state-of-the-art Tassie waste facility unveiled by southern family business

In a bid to cut green waste going to landfill, a Tasmanian family business has unveiled bold plans for a $15m waste processing facility. Take the video tour >

A $15m state-of-the-art waste facility which will cut the amount of green waste sent to landfill is being planned for southern Tasmania.

Barwick’s Landscape Supplies will soon lodge a development allocation with the Derwent Valley Council to construct an In-Vessel Composting facility at its existing pine-barking processing site ate Boyer.

As part of the approval process, the Environmental Protection Authority will do a detailed review of the environmental effects of the facility which will have four full enclosed tunnels that can each hold about 500 tonnes of organic waste including FOGO material.

Project Manager Rod Henham, Derwent Valley Mayor Michelle Dracoulis, Barwick’s Managing Director Tyronn Barwick, Barwick’s Boyer site employee Sandra Hetherington. Picture: Richard Jupe

Barwicks says as well as diverting waste from landfill, the compost by-product can be re-used in Tasmania’s agricultural, nursery, government and residential sector.

Tyronn Barwick who manages the long-running family business, said Barwick’s recognised the growing amount of green and food waste buried in landfill and believed the new facility could reduce organic waste sent to landfill 25 per cent by 2025 and 50 per cent by 2030.

“By producing more compost from organic waste, Tasmanians will see a reduction in waste to landfill, healthier food through greater soil conditions, and stronger and more local food systems with a generative outlook,” he said.

“We have taken a conservative approach to start-up by only treating waste materials that we have considerable experience in composting.

“Once we have established a solid operating knowledge of how these materials perform within the new facility, we will consider gradually introducing other sources of organic waste into feedstock blends.

“By utilising Barwick’s end products in these sectors it will increase the viability of Tasmania’s soil, thereby reducing the fossil fuel emissions that would otherwise be needed to produce and transport soil improvement products from interstate.”

By being closer to council FOGO collections at Hobart, Glenorchy, Brighton and Kingborough, it will reduce the “environmental costs of transporting longer distances”.

Residents in the area are being asked to provide feedback on the proposed development.

An information session will be held at Barwick’s Bridgewater facility on October 15 from 10am-11.30am.

Originally published as Plans for $15 state-of-the-art Tassie waste facility unveiled by southern family business