WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – ORGANICS
Capital compost PHIL CORKHILL, OF CORKHILL BROS, EXPLAINS THE PROCESS AND EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS ESSENTIAL TO MANAGING CANBERRA’S GREEN WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE.
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hen the Canberra Business Chamber sought to find the territory’s oldest surviving business in 2019, Corkhill Bros was among a handful of those recognised. Operating in multiple capacities since 1954, Corkhill Bros has been running a public green organic dropoff facility in the nation’s capital for more than 35 years. While the drop-off facility always received a steady flow of material, its intake jumped in April 2017. The surge in material followed the introduction of separate green organics kerbside collection in the ACT. The ACT Government subsequently tasked Corkhill Bros with collection and processing via a government contract. As Canberra does not have individual councils, this means Corkhill Bros manage the entire territory.
By July 2019, all Canberra residents had access to separate organics collection after the service was rolled out progressively over three-years. As a result, Phil Corkhill, of Corkhill Bros, says the family-run business now deals with an average of 350,000 tonnes of green waste each year. “As a company, we’re committed to a circular economy waste management and resource recovery approach. This means it’s very important that we achieve high recovery rates and nutrientrich feedstock,” he says. According to Phil, all organic waste processed at the facility is reused for the benefit of the community, with the resulting material turned into high-quality landscaping supplies and compost. “We grind our green organics daily, before allowing the product to sit
for three months to achieve quality pasteurisation and composting,” he says. “This allows the particles to break down before additives are introduced and turned into the piles for mixing.” To manage the process efficiently with minimal downtown, Corkhill Bros work closely with machinery supplier ELB Equipment. “When dealing with that level of material, operators can’t afford equipment breakdowns or to work with suppliers that don’t remain significantly engaged in the business,” Phil says. “We manage and process all of Canberra’s green waste, and as such, require efficiencies of scale. ELB can provide those efficiencies, which is why we continue to work with them.” Phil says Corkhill Bros currently operates a Topturn X55 Compost
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Corkhill Bros uses the Multistar L3 and other mobile machines for screening and mixing, facilitiating a consistent operation.
44 / WMR / February 2020
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