Here’s the latest on what’s happening at our biosolids facilities.

We know odour is a concern for people living and working nearby, and we take these impacts seriously. That’s why we’re actively investing in improvements and reviewing our processes to minimise impacts on the community.

What’s happening at each facility

Here’s an update on what’s happening at each of our biosolid processing facilities

Camperdown

Carting of sludge to the Camperdown facility remains paused, but we’ll be resuming the processing of the material that’s already on site this week. This work is essential to ensure adequate sludge storage space through the winter months.

We’ll be capping new windrows with dry biosolids as we lay them out. This method has proven to significantly reduce odours at the site. The misting system will also be running.

At this stage, we expect the processing to take two to three weeks, depending on weather conditions..

We know that odour has been a concern for people living and working near the site and we apologise. We’ll continue to routinely monitor for offsite odour through our routine operational checks and respond to any complaints in a timely manner.

Unfortunately, the current sludge on site is a lower quality because the Warrnambool Sewage Treatment Plant has been operating at capacity. An upgrade of the plant is now complete, and when fully operational, this will significantly improve how the increasing volumes of domestic and regional industrial waste are managed. Over time, it will also improve the quality of material and help reduce odour impacts.

We also continue to liaise with the Corangamite Shire and Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to keep them up to date regarding our activities at the Camperdown facility.

Hamilton

Processing at the Hamilton site has been completed for this season.

Portland

Sludge is being carted to the Portland site.

Our stockpile of fully processed biosolids is now ready for use and will be transported to our agricultural partners in the region for use as a soil conditioner.

Additional odour testing

We’ve undertaken specialist odour testing at our Camperdown and Hamilton facilities to better identify the odour compounds being emitted.

The results will help us target our treatment processes more effectively at the source, with the aim of further reducing odours into the future.

What’s happening longer term?

We’re investigating options for long‑term regional biosolids management. Our preferred solution is a new regional biosolids processing facility, designed to significantly reduce impacts on communities near existing sites..

What are biosolids?

During sewage treatment, naturally occurring bacteria break down organic material and help remove harmful bacteria. The treated wastewater is then separated and discharged.

The remaining material, known as sludge, is removed and partially dried. It contains mostly dead micro‑organisms, a small number of active ones, and inert materials like sand.

This material is transported to our biosolids facilities, where it’s dried and composted over several years. Once fully treated, it becomes biosolids that can be safely reused as a soil conditioner, most commonly on agricultural land.