BURWOOD BRICKWORKS DIVERTS ALMOST 19 TONNES OF FOOD WASTE FROM LANDFILL WITH WASTEMASTER

With the construction of Burwood Brickworks, Frasers Property Group aimed to establish the first retail development in the world to achieve Living Building Challenge™ certification, the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment. Celebrating their first year anniversary in December 2020 and on course to achieve the goal of the world’s most sustainable shopping centre, Burwood Brickworks has already received a 6-Star Green Star Design & As Built rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. 

Needing to adhere to strict building regulations to meet their sustainability target for the new development, Frasers sought innovative Australian-owned and manufactured technology to process their organic waste sustainably with minimal impact on the environment, whilst adhering to the highest global standards for the build. Existing, alternative technologies were out-dated, harmful to the environment and typically foreign owned/made giving Frasers limited visibility and tracking of the materials used in machine construction and limited local support.

Working with Suez, awarded the contract for the entire site’s waste, a WasteMaster 400 food waste conversion system for re-purposing of food waste as a valuable resource, was commissioned on site in January 2020.

During the first six-month period (with a COVID caveat for the latter three months), the WasteMaster system has diverted 18.7 tonnes of food waste from landfill, preventing the generation of 14.63 tonnes of greenhouse gas. Other benefits are also unparalleled including prevention of greenhouse gas generation due to diversion of food waste from landfill and organic waste converted on site, reduces CO₂ emissions from transport.

No additives, microbes or water required for the conversion process and the residue from conversion retains its calorific value to produce green energy and other resources. Local, responsive support from Australian company including remote management and monthly reporting offers Frasers additional confidence.

Since the commission date, 4.83 tonnes of repurposed residue has been sent to Yarra Valley Water, creating enough green electricity to power 774 homes for one day. This equates in turn to a 84% CO₂-eq reduction in greenhouse gas generation compared with landfill disposal.

Education of retailers and community about the negative impact of food waste and the benefit of diversion have been vitally important for Frasers Property as too have been the measurable and reportable environmental benefits from the use of the WasteMaster.