Hospital solves kitchen dilemma

Epworth Geelong is contributing to a cleaner, greener future with an innovative way of dealing with carbon-emitting food waste.

Tonnes of the hospital's kitchen scraps are being converted to compost, reducing landfill and greenhouse gas emissions. And in years to come, the waste could even be used to power homes.

Executive General Manager Leonie Lloyd said the Epworth HealthCare facility was the first in regional Australia to install a WasteMaster dehydrator, which removes 80 percent of water from organic refuse.

"We completed an independent sustainability audit at Epworth Geelong, which found one of the biggest contributors to our carbon emissions was food waste from the kitchen," Ms Lloyd said.

"Previously, tens of thousands of kilograms of food offcuts were being taken from the kitchen to landfill."

Ms Lloyd said Epworth wanted to "champion sustainable hospital practices".

The WasteMaster system can remove water from food waste such as fish and chicken bones, fruit and vegetables, eggs and eggshells, teabags and coffee grounds, leaving behind a powdery residue that is high in nutrients.

Simon Mikedis, Epworth's Group Sustainability Manager, said the residue would be taken to a Geelong council facility to be used in nutrient-rich compost.

"The compost will be used in local parks and reserves, so it's a win-win for Epworth and the City of Greater Geelong," Mr Mikedis said.

"Longer term, we will partner with an anaerobic facility so food-waste residue can produce electricity to power homes."

Epworth Richmond in Melbourne was the first Victorian hospital to install a WasteMaster system, in late 2019.

Last year, more than 36,000 kilograms of its kitchen waste was reduced to residue and taken to Yarra Valley Water's anaerobic facility at Wollert in northern Melbourne.

The residue was used to create enough electricity to power five homes for an entire year.

"In three years, the WasteMaster at Epworth Richmond has prevented 135 tonnes of food waste going to landfill, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 224 tonnes," Mr Mikedis said.

The installation of Epworth Geelong's WasteMaster system was made possible through generous support by the Percy Baxter Charitable Trust, which makes annual grants of over $4 million to Victorian charities and medical research.

Read more: Epworth transforms its hospital waste

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