$25m FOGO contract awarded in Bega Valley Shire

Bega Valley Shire Council has announced it has awarded a $24.8 million contract for the design, construction and operation of a new organics processing facility (OPF) to SOILCO Pty Ltd.

It will be built and operated from council's central waste facility (CWF) near Wolumla.

Project Manager, Kimberley Rushbrook said the purpose-built facility will be an important investment in reducing landfill dependency in the shire.

"Our current organics facility at the Merimbula Waste Transfer Station is no longer able to meet the needs of our growing community," Ms Rushbrook said.

"The new facility will use the latest technology to process food scraps and garden waste more efficiently and with a greatly reduced impact on the local environment."

Since 2016 council has been processing garden organics (GO) from the shire's waste transfer stations, and producing a mulched product for redistribution within the community.

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In October 2018 a weekly Food and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection was rolled out across the shire, and together with self-haul garden organics, this material is currently composted at council's organics processing facility in Merimbula.

The Bega Valley has taken to organics processing and currently, council processes approximately 6500 tonnes per annum of food organic waste, and 3500 tonnes per annum of garden organics.

However this is almost double what council is licensed for by the EPA and as the regulator for waste and composting facilities in NSW, the EPA has documented its ongoing concern about the excess, along with other issues, including leachate management, contamination of feedstock, and pollution incidents.

In September 2022 council resolved to investigate outsourcing the service and this new contract is a result of that process.

Ms Rushbrook said that pending development application approval, the new OPF is expected to be completed in 2026 and will be operated independently under a 10-year contract with capacity to extend if needed.

"Following an extensive pre-tender process, we are delighted to be partnering with SOILCO to deliver this important project," Ms Rushbrook said.

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"SOILCO is a leading provider of organics processing services within NSW and we are confident they will operate a facility that meets the needs of our community and the environment.

"The new OPF will use covered aerated static pile technology with strong odour and leachate controls, which is a significant step up from the existing technology.

"The facility will also be designed with future expansion in mind, to cater for the growing demand for organics recycling.

"As the need to grow organics recycling continues, the new OPF will be a valuable asset as we move towards a waste free future in the Bega Valley Shire."

Ms Rushbrook the design of the new organics processing facility would be mostly funded by the NSW EPA Bushfire Recovery Program for council landfills.

"Construction, operation and maintenance will be funded by council's general waste fund via an adjustment to the long term financial plan. We will also investigate any grant funding opportunities that may arise," Ms Rushbrook said.

The CWF will remain closed to the public. When the new OPF at the CWF is complete, staff will decommission the existing organics facility at the Merimbula Waste Transfer Station. This will see the end of compost being available for purchase at transfer stations.

Council said instead, SOILCO will produce a range of high-quality soil improvement products and will be marketing and distributing it under their own brand through suitable local markets.

Project timeframe

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