Christchurch's new state-of-the-art organics processing plant opens

The Christchurch City Council today (Friday 6 March) opened its new state-of-the-art Organics Processing Plant, one of the largest in Australasia.

Located at Bromley, the new 3000sqm plant will from next Monday (9 March) begin annually processing 80,000 tonnes of the city’s domestic garden and food waste into compost which will provide Canterbury farmers and horticulturalists with a high-quality alternative to traditional fertiliser.

The first material for the plant will be received on Monday (9 March) with the start of the city’s new weekly organics wheelie bin collection for week 1 areas. Week 2 areas begin using the new service from 13 April.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker says 50 per cent of the rubbish residents have been putting in their black plastic rubbish bags has been compostable.

“The organic waste we have been sending to landfill each year not only fills up the landfill but also results in greenhouse gases and leachate.

“The new organics processing plant is just one part of the city’s new three-bin kerbside collection for domestic waste which will ensure as a city we are contributing to the reuse of materials which will help make Christchurch the most sustainable city in New Zealand.”

Mr Parker says the organics processing plant will help the city to reduce by 65,000 tonnes annually the amount of domestic waste going to landfill. “This will result in less carbon emissions and 1000 fewer truck movements to the Kate Valley landfill.

“I am proud that as a city we are showing real leadership in waste minimisation. Christchurch is being watched by other New Zealand cities which are keen to follow our lead in this area to better manage their own waste streams.”

There is strong demand in the agricultural industry for a price competitive and high-quality fertiliser substitute with fertiliser prices having risen steeply in recent times, says Rob Fenwick co-founder and director of Living Earth, designer and operator of the plant.

“Farmers are beginning to realise that chemical fertilisers are not the sustainable answer for future growth. Fertilisers are still needed but combined with organic material.”

He says recent research has shown the nutrients from the annual output at the Christchurch plant will be equivalent to 3000 tonnes of fertiliser.

The raw organic material will be collected at the kerbside by Council’s contractor Transpacific Industries and delivered to the processing plant to be sorted, shredded and blended ready for processing in 18 enclosed tunnels into pathogen free and biologically stable compost. This process takes 21 days, the product then being transferred to outdoor windrows to mature.

“This process is true recycling. You are taking products with high nutritional value back to the land to restore the fertility of the soils, which in turn will improve farmers’ profit lines,” Mr Fenwick says.

“It is exciting to see this type of operation in New Zealand, to be working with a local authority which has such vision to provide a sustainable future by being socially responsible in safely recovering and re-using its waste stream.

“The real success of the operation, however, rests with the city’s 382,000 residents who will provide the raw material from which Living Earth will produce the high-quality compost.”

Transpacific Industries Managing Director Tom Nickels says the company is pleased to be working in partnership with Christchurch City on probably the most comprehensive sustainable waste management contract in Australasia.

“We congratulate the City on its forward thinking and leadership, and look forward to delivering outstanding service over the next 15 years.”

Mr Parker says every resident has a vested interest in ensuring the plant produces high-quality compost as beyond a certain threshold, there is revenue sharing with the city.

”This new service is not just about diverting waste from landfill but it is about returning the benefits back to the land and also the Christchurch ratepayer.”

Christchurch’s new organics plant has created jobs for 20 people.