Huntly facility a composting coup for Bendigo

Once completed, the facility is expected to process up to 30,000 tonnes of food and garden organics every year and reduce emissions by 16.3 per cent. Photo: Western Composting Technology/Supplied.

A new $15m food and garden organics processing facility located adjacent to the Bendigo Livestock Exchange in Huntly is under construction.

Once completed, it is expected to process up to 30,000 tonnes of organics every year and reduce emissions by 16.3 per cent in comparison to current kerbside organics disposal arrangements.

The project is being delivered by Shepparton-based Western Composting Technology (WCT) under a long-term service agreement with the City of Greater Bendigo.

The facility will utilise WCT’s tunnel composting technology, which will enable controlled processing of organic materials and aim to produce a stable compost product suitable for agricultural and horticultural use.

Tim King from build-stage site manager SilverFox Management said construction had progressed on schedule with strong participation from local contractors.

“Construction of the Huntly facility is progressing well, and the majority of businesses involved are from Bendigo and the surrounding region,” King said.

“That ensures the economic benefits of the project are retained locally throughout the build phase.”

Mat Dickens, WCT’s director and CEO, said the project represented a structural shift in how the region manages organic waste.

“Currently, a substantial volume of Bendigo’s organic material is transported out of the region for processing,” he said.

“This facility changes that by enabling local processing at scale, reducing transport and delivering a more efficient and lower-emissions outcome.

“WCT has a proven operating model in regional Victoria, and the Huntly facility applies that experience to deliver long-term infrastructure aligned with the city’s waste and resource recovery objectives.”