Green Eco Technologies turns food trash into treasure
Green Eco Technologies’ innovative repurposing system prevents food waste from going to waste. The Australian Export Awards Small Business winner 2022 shares its global carbon reduction strategy.
Green Eco Technologies (GET) turns food trash into eco-friendly treasure. The company makes a food-waste repurposing system that converts organic waste into a usable product. This reduces carbon emissions and cuts disposal costs for businesses across the globe.
‘The compact WasteMaster system allows organic waste, once destined for landfill, to be processed onsite,’ explains Green Eco Technologies CEO, Rick Woods.
Within 24 hours, the WasteMaster system converts the food waste into a storable, eco-conscious product. This can then be repurposed.
From trash to treasure
For every 500 kg of organic waste loaded, the WasteMaster outputs around 100 kg of pathogen-free, nutrient-rich, odour-neutral residue.
The WasteMaster residue can be used as:
- fuel to produce green energy (a tonne of WasteMaster organic waste residue creates enough green energy to power 83 homes for a day via an Anerobic Digestor)
- enhancer to improve compost nutrient value
- fertiliser to improve soil quality
- feedstock for the aquaculture industry (coming soon).
The system also reduces:
- greenhouse gas emissions (84% compared to landfill disposal)
- onsite vehicle requirements, which further shrinks carbon footprint
- vermin and insect attraction.
A global waste transformation movement
The WasteMaster is manufactured in Albury, New South Wales. It is exported globally to a growing range of industries.
‘With the onset of COVID-19, our business had to pivot away from highly affected industries like hospitality and healthcare. We focused on less impacted industries like mining and retail,’ says Woods.
Current export markets include the UK, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the US, France, Spain, Chile and Singapore.
France and Spain are important markets for GET.
‘Both countries are implementing mandates to divert food waste from landfill. This increases the reliance of an onsite system such as our WasteMaster,’ says Woods.
Success in the Gulf
Initial success in the UAE saw interest increase from other Gulf States, including KSA.
‘Due to local laws and restrictions and COVID-19 regulations, traction in the KSA was quite difficult at first,’ says Woods. ‘But with perseverance, we connected with a suitable partner who we felt could represent GET and the WasteMaster in the region.’
GET’s WasteMaster system is now being deployed at NEOM in KSA. NEOM is a purpose-built sustainable city of the future under construction by the KSA government.
‘The publicity from this project has been the catalyst for further interest in KSA, Qatar and Bahrain,’ says Woods.
Woods says GET and the Austrade team in the UAE have a strong working relationship. The team engaged GET for Expo 2020 Dubai. A WasteMaster in the Australian Pavilion processed all the food waste generated during the event, and showcased the system to prospective customers.
A boon for sustainability reporting
WasteMaster systems are remotely monitored with in-built diagnostics. This provides accurate information about the amount of organic waste being loaded.
This, says Woods, encourages waste reduction. ‘We wanted to show users exactly how much food they were wasting, so they could take action to reduce this.’
Accurate waste measurement also allows businesses to calculate the equivalent amount of greenhouse gas they are preventing by using the WasteMaster. This makes sustainability reporting faster, easier and more effective.
Australian Export Awards is a chance to tell your story
Woods would encourage like-minded organisations to see the Australian Export Awards as a chance to expand their reach.
‘GET applied for the Australian Export Awards to spread the exceptional story of a small business competing on the world stage, providing technology that has a significant impact on our climate,’ he says.
‘We would encourage other organisations that have developed unique technology that the world should be aware of, to get involved in the Australian Export Awards.’
A clean, bright future for GET
Wood says the whole GET team is committed to spreading the positive impact of the WasteMaster system globally.
‘We are increasing our personnel and operations in other countries to expand the use of our technology,’ he says.
Future success for the company is supported by Australian investment in larger WasteMaster models. These are developed to suit different waste-processing requirements.
‘We are optimistic that there is a global trend to divert food waste from landfill,’ says Woods. ‘We are ready to play our part in addressing the challenge.’