The organic materials included in the WRAPP are confined to vegetation materials (i.e. garden and wood wastes but not food wastes).

• Vegetation and WRAPP
• Vegetation materials & How To... Buy   Use  Recover  Remake

Vegetation and WRAPP

‘Organic waste’ covers a wide range of materials including:

• garden wastes (grass, leaves, tree loppings etc.)
• food wastes (fruit, vegetable, cereal, animal carcasses, fat etc.); and
• wood wastes (sawdust, shavings, offcuts, pallets etc).

Organics form a significant part of the NSW waste stream, comprising about 30% of all waste sent to landfill. More than 270, 000 tonnes a year of garden waste is diverted from landfill via composting operations. Impacts from the disposal and processing of green waste can include air emissions (particularly greenhouse gases), water pollution, odour and health risks.

Calling these materials ‘waste’ is misleading. Biological waste processing technologies such as composting, land applications, digestion and fermentation can now turn many previously unusable organic materials into valuable resources. The tonnages being processed by commercial composting facilities in NSW have significantly increased since 1996. The compost can be used in agricultural, land rehabilitation, landscaping and domestic applications.

Buy

• Survey what types of synthetic versus organic landscaping materials your organisation uses.
• Research how different types of organic materials can be used. In particular, investigate cost savings associated with not buying synthetic materials.
• Avoid buying new products. Your organisation may be generating vegetation wastes that could be processed and reused.
• Ask your suppler if they stock recycled organic products.
• Substitute synthetic landscaping and agricultural products with recycled organic products where you can.
• Ensure that recycled organic products that you buy meet the Australian Standard such as AS4454 (1999) for composts, soil amenders and mulches and AS3743 (1996) for potting mixes

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Use

• Use compost and mulch where possible to reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers and herbicides.
• Use recycled organic products where soil revitalisation, erosion control and water conservation is needed.
• Use recycled organic products in landscaping applications, parks and playgrounds, roadway landscaping, erosion control projects and more.
• Apply mulches to a depth of 75 to 100mm on the soils surface for the most effective results. Top up every 6-12 months.
• Carefully follow manufacturer’s instructions for each compost product with respect to the nutritional content and any need for additional fertilisers.
• Use an Australian Standard mulch or compost to avoid introducing weeds and pests
• Use selective pruning to reduce green waste generation.
• Install low maintenance gardens with natives or species that require little water.

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Recover

• Use an audit or survey of the types, quantities and sources of vegetation and green waste that your agency generates to identify opportunities to recover valuable resources.
• Develop or fine-tune your recycling system to maximise recovery of potential resources. Consider how different systems could be used or combined, such as:
• source-separation -collect waste and separate it at the point of generation
• post-collection separation – wastes are separated at a collection or transfer station
• mixed waste separation – where the whole waste stream is composted and contaminants such as plastic screened out .
• Ensure that vegetation waste streams are free of contaminants such as plastic, foam, metal, glass, etc.
• Identify and eliminate any sources of harmful chemicals (eg. heavy metals) that may contaminate waste and make any processed product unusable. Sources include spills, stormwater run-off, contaminated soil and sewage sludge, treated wood etc.
• Ensure building or maintenance contractors are aware of your recovery program and use it. If possible, mandate its use into their contract.
• Sort vegetation clippings and pruning into reusable items (garden stakes, sleepers etc.) and chippable items for mulching.
• Consider using/hiring a chipper for processing bulky vegetation.
• Leaving grass clippings on the ground to naturally decompose.

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Remake

• Research and understand compost or mulch processing systems.
• Investigate the use of vegetation and green waste processing technologies such as composting, digestion and fermentation in your organisation.
• Seek professional assistance to assist you to set up your processing system.
• Refer to Australian Standards for recycled organic products including composts, soil conditioners and mulches, general and specialist potting mixes.
• To improve the quality of recycled organic products, ensure that product standards are being met.

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