Our new composting hub consists of 12 large bays, with up to 1.2m³ in each. The new facility has increased our capacity by 300%. The aim is to fill one bay per week, estimating that we can eliminate up to 100kg of food scraps from entering landfill every week (over 5 tonnes per year).
The facility is made with a steel frame and composite plastic sleepers for the walls. There is a floor in the base of every bay to ensure that the contents are isolated from the surrounding soil. We took the lids from the old compost bins and integrated them into the new design to ensure an easy, familiar and effective way of dropping off food scraps. The entire lid is then hinged and able to be opened when it is time to turn the compost or empty the bay. The sleepers can also removable, making it much easier to turn/remove the compost.
One unique requirement from Council, was that we could not install any in-ground posts or footings. Therefore, we designed the frame to be freestanding and it simply sits on top of pavers.
Minimising the use of timber was a conscious decision in ensuring the facilities longevity. We are also extremely happy with the composite plastic sleepers from FITTA Group. They are far lighter than either hardwood or concrete and will last much longer than pine. They are also made from 88% recycled materials.
If you have any questions about our composting hub design, feel welcome to contact us. We are extremely happy with the outcome and would love to share our knowledge and design tips with anyone looking to build their own.
Our old system
Our new and improved facility, with 3 times more capacity!
We would like to thank the following companies for their direct involvement and contributions to the new composting hub
Origin Fencing were invaluable in the design and fabrication of the steel framing of the composting hub. Their in-house fabrication facilities made it possible to test ideas and eventually produce a unique frame to best suit our specific needs. Constraints such as site access, needing to be lightweight and also not being able to dig footings for posts, meant the frame ended up being built in three sections and installed on site. The end product is unique in that it is free-standing (no in-ground posts or footings), it allows for the sleepers/walls to be easily installed/removed as required and allowed for hinged lids to be installed on top. The steel frame also ensures the longevity of the new facility, as well as structural integrity.
FITTA Group were extremely generous in donating their composite sleepers to build the walls for the composting hub.
Deciding what materials to use for the walls was a challenging one. The main element of the design that we needed to focus on was being able to easily remove the front walls so that the compost could be easily accessed. If the walls were too heavy, then this would not be feasible.
Bunnings put us in contact with David from FITTA Group, who was immediately on board and excited to help. FITTA’s composite sleepers were the perfect solution to our unique needs. Their sleepers are just as light as pine, are stronger than concrete and will last even longer.
We would like to thank Bunnings, Newstead for their incredibly valuable assistance to put us in contact with FITTA Group and coordinating the supply and delivery of the sleepers.
During the design process, we reached out to Bunnings, seeing if they were able to help with the project in any way. It was amazing to see how invested they were in supporting community projects like ours and we look forward to working with them again in the future.
In 2021, ARIA Property Group were extremely generous in donating a considerable amount of money towards the garden to help in it’s revitalisation and restoration. This donation has been the cornerstone of all work that has taken place in the garden over the past years, from raised garden beds, irrigation, a new greenhouse and, most recently, the new composting hub. We greatly appreciate their support.
We would like to thank the Waste and Resource Recovery Services team at BCC for their continual cooperation and support. They were generous enough to supply and install two additional compost bays to our new facility. This adds an additional 2m³ of capacity, estimating that we can save an additional 400-500kg of food scraps from entering landfill every year.
A timelapse showing FITTA composite sleepers being installed into the steel frame. In total, this process took only 20 minutes