Corio Waste Management

How did Corio Waste Management begin?

Corio Waste Management was established in 1996 by Ken Dickens and is a family run business.

Why do you do what you do? What is your mission and vision for the future?

We offer clean, efficient and sustainable waste management services. We pride ourselves on delivering best practice waste collection and management systems to our customers.

Composting organic materials at home and in large-scale facilities is part of a growing trend in Australia to better manage and re-use organic material. How does Corio Waste Management fit into Australia’s composting story?

Corio Waste Management own Western Composting Technology Pty Ltd, situated north of Shepparton, Victoria. Our Compost product (GV COMPOST), complies with Australian Standard AS445-2003.

As a compost collection partner, Corio Waste Management is facilitating the waste collection and commercial composting of food waste and BioPak compostable packaging. What happens after the waste is collected? What does the composting process look like at Corio Waste Management?

Our organic/compost waste is transported to our composting facility north of Shepparton where it is processed under computer controlled conditions (by us) utilising ‘tunnel’ Bio-reactor technology, similar to over 600 installations throughout Europe. This technology is the first in Australia.

Have you had to adapt your processes to accept BioPak products?

No we haven’t.

How much compost do you produce in a year?

Our facility is capable of processing up to 30,000 tonnes of green waste and commercial waste each year producing 18,000 cubic metres of high quality compost, which in turn goes back to our farmers.

Do you have to maintain any standards or certifications for the compost?

Yes, Australian standards AS4454-2003 under

At the end of the process, what kinds of soil are produced, and where do they end up?

A high grade compost/soil conditioner is produced which is sold back to our farmers.

How do you manage the risk of contamination to organic waste?

I.e. non-compostable waste making its way into the waste collection bin. Education at the source and hand

What are some of the challenges with composting?

It would be mainly around the educating of customers as to what constitutes organic/compost waste. Contamination. Uptake from consumers to purchase the service to create viable and affordable collection routes.