Driving jobs in regional victoria with waste to energy

A waste to energy facility in Creswick is transforming organic waste and boosting local job and business opportunities, thanks to a funding boost from the Andrews Labor Government.

A biodigester that turns organic waste into valuable products in Creswick is helping to remove waste from the environment while creating opportunities for new jobs and businesses.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio and Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas today visited the $1.65m Hepburn Shire Waste to Energy System which will save $280,000 each year by diverting 2,000 tonnes of organic waste from landfill and turning it into methane gas, waste water and compost.

The Labor Government invested $650,000 in the facility from the New Energy Jobs Fund, with the Hepburn Shire Council delivering the remaining funding.

The facility turns organic food waste from the local RACV resort into energy, waste water for street plantings or dust mitigation, and into compost for plants or to be sold.

The facility has been operational since July and will continue in its current testing phase through to early 2020, it will also explore how to inject clean, filtered green gas into the gas network – a Victorian first.

The project is aiming to scale-up production to reduce waste shire-wide, with potential for the system to then be replicated across other Victorian councils.

This will help work towards the Government’s target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
"Projects like these create opportunities for new products and jobs across regional Victoria and mean less waste ends up in landfill."

"The Hepburn Shire Council is setting an example that councils across Victoria can follow and it’s clear there are more benefits to come from this project."

Quote attributable to Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas
"Facilities like these provide benefits at all levels of the community – boosting jobs, getting more out of our waste and delivering much needed resources to local businesses."