Natural Recovery Systems Composting Project

Natural Recovery Systems Composting Project is a waste treatment and diversion project located in the industrial precinct of Clarinda, approximately 20km southeast of Melbourne's CBD in Victoria. Registered in April 2013, this project transitioned from the earlier Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) and operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Alternative Waste Treatment) Methodology Determination 2015.

The project is situated at the Natural Recovery Systems (NRS) facility, which Veolia Environmental Services (Australia) Pty Ltd operates. The core activity involves diverting mixed solid waste that would otherwise be destined for landfill, where it would decompose anaerobically and release methane, and instead processing it in a controlled facility. While the NRS facility is widely recognized for its "in-vessel" composting technology that creates nutrient-rich soil additives, the official project description notes that this specific carbon project utilizes enclosed composting technology to produce a combustible fuel substitute. This process effectively stabilizes the organic waste and transforms it into a usable energy resource or process-engineered fuel.

The Clarinda and Dandenong South region is a significant industrial hub historically known for sand mining, earning it the "Sandbelt" moniker. As a result, the local terrain is characterized by sandy soils that have been heavily modified for industrial and waste management use. The area experiences a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, typically averaging between 600mm and 750mm annually. The carbon abatement contract for this project was successfully completed in August 2022.