More than 20 tonnes of organic material was collected in the first week of the City of Launceston’s green waster operation.
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General manager Michael Stretton said there has been extremely low levels of contamination as well, which was fantastic.
“By the end of this week, everyone who registered and paid before October 13 will have received their FOGO bins, and from now on we expect people who register will have to wait less than a fortnight before they receive their bin,” he said.
The council is now waiting on final approvals from the EPA before beginning the composting process at the Launceston Waste Centre.
“We're using a forced aeration system to help break the organic materials down, and the system allows us to have very precise controls over temperature, moisture and oxygen levels,” he said.
“The setup essentially involves a series of gravel pads, aerated from below, and FOGO material will be moved from one pad to another as it breaks down.
“In total it’s about a six week process from the waste that comes in to the facility in bins to being able to screen it and use it as garden mulch.”
Mr Stretton said the council was hoping to have its first mulch material around Christmas time.
“We'll then experiment with it on some Council parks and gardens,” he said.
“We're aware that some people are hoping to be able to purchase mulch for use in their own gardens, and we'll no doubt have a closer look at that in future.”
Anyone who is interested in registering for the service can find out more at www.launceston.tas.gov.au
The FOGO bin is a voluntary service, with a $65 fee attached.
“We were hoping to get about 2600 registrations in the first year,” Mr Stretton said.
"We're now sitting at more than 4000 registrations and climbing.
"With such high demand, it has been a bit of a challenge to get the bins out to people, but we're through the most taxing part of that now.”