The world’s most sustainable retail development at Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre does a lot of things differently and one of those things is to view waste as a resource.
In 2020, Frasers Property Australia partnered with Green Eco Technologies to process the centre’s organic waste through the WasteMaster system, which uses unique innovative technology to convert food waste, without bacteria, other additives, or water, into a virtually odour-free, much-reduced quantity of reusable residual material.
In the time since, the impacts have been extremely significant. Over 83 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – and counting – from landfill have been saved thanks to the innovative WasteMaster system.
How it works
The WasteMaster technology reduces greenhouse gas generation by diverting food waste from landfill and recycling it. The system’s efficient conversion and re-purposing of organic waste into a re-usable residual material enables green energy generation through anaerobic digestion.
The technology blasts the cell walls of food waste with charged oxygen molecules, which accelerate decomposition. The moisture in the waste is evaporated and vented into the air as humid, odour-free vapour. What remains is a pathogen-free, high-calorific value, nutrient-rich residue, which is ideal for a range of beneficial uses.
At the end of the process, the weight of the organic waste has been reduced by up to 80%. For every 500kg loaded into the system, WasteMaster outputs around 100kg of compost-like residual material, which will not attract insects or vermin in its dry state.
The weight of food waste is reduced in a short time, usually between 10 – 24 hours, while retaining the calorific and nutrient value of the waste loaded. Composting food waste takes considerably longer, erodes the calorific and nutrient value of the waste loaded, and releases considerably more CO2 eq greenhouse gases than the WasteMaster.
Benefits to date
Commissioned on site in January 2020, in almost two years of operation at Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre, more than 66,000kg of food waste has been diverted from landfill, saving more than 83 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
With the success of the initiative at Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre, the WasteMaster system was subsequently introduced to Ed.Square Town Centre and Eastern Creek Quarter, with an additional 15 tonnes-plus of greenhouse gas emissions combined saved in these two centres from May 2021 to December 2021.
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