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.
- As USC uses mostly compostable food packaging, more organic waste is generated than OSCA can handle. Additional organic waste is taken offsite to Earthborn in neighbouring Palmwoods for composting to ensure it doesn't end up in the landfill stream.