The University's OSCA composting machine transforms organic waste into nutrient-rich compost for the campus gardens. OSCA can process the following:
- All food scraps
- The compostable plates, cups and cutlery sold at campus food outlets
- Paper hand towels
- Cardboard
Some of the key benefits of using OSCA include:
- Very low energy consumption to run the machine
- Silent processing of organic matter
- Produces odourless compost
- Diverts organic waste from going into landfill
- Reduces transport costs of waste going to landfill
- Educates people about composting
OSCA facts
- At capacity, 50 tonnes of organic waste a year can be processed by OSCA. This represents a reduction of 60 tonnes of CO2 entering the Earth's atmosphere every year at Sippy Downs.
- One wheelie bin full of compostable waste takes 2 weeks to be processed by OSCA into rich compost.
Compostable catering supplies
- To ensure the organic waste stream is consistent with OSCA's requirements, compostable catering products (i.e. made of 100% corn starch) such as cutlery, plates and coffee cups (including lids) are used in all food outlets on campus. Compostable catering products are a significant factor in the success of the waste recovery program and has helped the University convert 25% of its food waste to rich nutrient compost each year.