Werribee Western Treatment Plant - Dedicated Food Organic Waste Facility

Werribee Western Treatment Plant - Dedicated Food Organic Waste Facility is an Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) project located at the historic Western Treatment Plant (WTP) in Werribee, approximately 30 kilometers south-west of Melbourne’s CBD. Registered in late March 2025, just days before the relevant methodology was closed to new entrants, the project represents a significant piece of modern circular economy infrastructure within a site famous for its sewage treatment history.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Alternative Waste Treatment) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits emissions reductions achieved by diverting mixed solid waste, specifically food organic waste in this instance, away from landfills where it would otherwise decompose and release potent methane. Instead, the waste is processed in a purpose-built facility using anaerobic digesters. These sealed vessels break down the organic matter to produce biogas, which is then captured and combusted to generate renewable energy or heat, preventing its release into the atmosphere.

The WTP site sits on the Victorian Volcanic Plains, a region characterized by its relatively low rainfall due to the "rain shadow" effect of the Otway Ranges, and its heavy clay and basalt soils. While the broader region is historically known for market gardens and grazing, the treatment plant itself is a unique hybrid landscape; it functions simultaneously as a massive industrial sewage facility, a pastoral station for grazing cattle and sheep, and a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance for migratory birds.

An interesting facet of this project is its integration into Melbourne Water's broader strategy to transform the WTP into a "Resource Recovery and Re-Use Complex." By accepting liquid food organic waste, the facility not only reduces community landfill pressure but also boosts the plant's biogas production, enhancing its ability to generate its own power.