Media statement by Centre for Recycling of Organic Waste and Nutrients
In Gatton, Minister Steven Miles (Environment and Heritage Protection) yesterday opened the newly established Centre for Recycling of Organic Waste and Nutrients (CROWN), which will be part of the University of Queensland’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences. The Minister said that, “as organic waste from households and commercial premises was declared a priority waste stream, and the diversion of organic waste from landfill combined with the beneficial use of recycled organic products is key to us reaching our ambitious waste reduction targets, we need to support the entire organics recycling supply chain.” The Minister added that the success of Queensland’s push to expand organic recycling activities will depend on the development, manufacturing and supply of high quality, value added recycled organic products that deliver tangible benefits to agricultural and horticultural users. The Minister furthermore pointed out that “the intelligent use of recycled organic products will also improve resource use efficiency, maintain soil health and productivity, and reduce negative environmental impacts – everything my Department is aiming for”.
A key role of CROWN, which was established with the support of the Queensland Government, will be to build linkages between State and Local Government, the waste and organics recycling industry, university researchers, agricultural producers and natural resource management groups, and to facilitate the organics recycling supply chain at every level.
CROWN’s activities will cover the processing and beneficial use of all organic waste and nutrient streams, including municipal and commercial organics, manures, food and fibre processing residues and biosolids, and focus on both research and development, but also on training and education of farmers, agronomists, composters, waste managers and regulators. It is envisaged that a large proportion of CROWN’s work will cover aspects of utilising raw and composted organic resources for land management and plant production purposes, but will also include other organics re-use activities, such as the use of biochar, digestate, struvite, or next-generation organo-mineral fertilisers.
CROWN’s research, development, training and extension activities will, quite naturally, focus on the development and assessment of high-quality and fit for purpose recycled organic products and their beneficial use in terms of agronomic, economic and environmental effects.
CROWN aims to be an independent research, training and advisory organisation that covers all aspects of organics recycling and resource recovery supply chains. CROWN will become a central knowledge hub within Queensland and Australia that will promote research, training and extension capabilities in processing and utilising organic residues and imbedded nutrients, and that will disseminate both scientific information for researchers and students, and also practical information for farmers so they can make informed decisions about the use of organic soil amendments, and reap maximum benefit from their use.
ENDS
Contact
Johannes Biala
Director
Centre for Recycling of Organic Waste and Nutrients
University of Queensland, Gatton Campus
Ph 0409 062613
Email j.biala@uq.edu.au