A solution to our waste problem

Barwon Water is planning a ground breaking Regional Renewable Organics Network at the Black Rock Water Reclamation Plant in Connewarre.

The facility will take local commercial, industrial, household food and garden waste and wastewater organic waste - known as 'organic waste' - and safely convert it into nutrient-rich products that capture carbon in the ground, improve soil for agricultural uses, and produce renewable energy. In doing so will divert volumes of organic waste away from landfill.

Barwon Water has already established a successful renewable organics network at its Colac Water Reclamation Plant and is building on this achievement.

We are partnering with local councils (Borough of Queenscliffe, City of Greater Geelong, Golden Plains Shire and Surf Coast Shire) to make sure your local needs are met and minimise waste costs for our region.

Watch the video and read our FAQs to find out more about the project, how it works, what it will look like and where we are proposing to locate it.

• See FAQs, including 'how does it work?' for more information...

Why is a Regional Renewable Organics Network needed?

Transforming organic waste into a valuable resource

As our region grows, so too does the need to manage waste. Each year the waste we generate increases at double the rate of our population.

About a third of the waste that ends up in our household bin is food and most of this goes to landfill. This wastes a potential resource and generates greenhouse gases which can cause severe environmental and health issues. Biochar is then made from the recycled organic waste and will have many economic and environmental advantages. Biochar captures carbon in the ground to improve soil, which increases crop production and provides better plant growth. On top of this, it reduces greenhouse gases by locking carbon away from the atmosphere into the soil.

This project provides an innovative solution to manage our increasing amount of waste. It leads the way in the transition to a circular economy, where materials are continually reused and recycled.

Get involved!

We are committed to listening to our community.

Share your feedback

You can continue to share your feedback by:

• Dropping a pin on the map (see tab below) and leaving your comment or photo.
• If you would prefer to provide a longer response, please submit your document (see survey below).

We are in the project development stage. These early conversations will inform the next stages of the project, including a functional design and technical assessments. The technical assessments will provide more information about how Barwon Water will meet Environment Protection Authority (EPA) requirements. This includes managing traffic, noise, and odour within EPA standards.

Community conversations to date

Between Friday 9 October 2021 to Friday 26 November 2021 we engaged with the community via webinars, meetings, an online mapping tool and a feedback form. Read our Phase 1 Engagement Report to learn more about the feedback or watch our webinar recording.

Read our FAQs to learn more about how the project is responding to the questions and ideas shared by community during Phase 1 Community Engagement.