Kalamunda Food Organics and Garden Organics Composting

Kalamunda Food Organics and Garden Organics Composting is a waste diversion project located at the Walliston Transfer Station, approximately 25km east of Perth in the scenic Perth Hills of Western Australia. Registered in May 2024, the project serves the City of Kalamunda local government area, covering approximately 20,000 households. The region is characterized by a mix of peri-urban residential areas, horticulture, and state forest, set within a Mediterranean climate known for wet winters and dry summers. The local terrain sits on the Darling Scarp, typically featuring lateritic gravels and clay soils.

The project operates under the Source Separated Organic Waste methodology, which awards carbon credits for diverting organic material, specifically food and garden waste, away from landfills. By separating this waste at the household level (the "source") and processing it into compost, the project prevents the generation of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that would otherwise be released during anaerobic decomposition in a landfill. The project activities include the rollout of a three-bin FOGO system, collecting organic waste weekly to be treated via open windrow or enclosed composting technologies.

An interesting aspect of this project is the City of Kalamunda's strategic shift in 2024, ending a long-term partnership with the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council to independently manage its waste strategy. The council adopted the slogan "If it didn't live or grow, it's not FOGO" to educate residents during the September 2024 rollout. To close the loop, the City has initiated community give-back days at the Walliston facility, offering free bags of the resulting compost to residents for use in their own gardens.