BIO-RECYCLING PROJECT / SOIL CO.

The ReGenesis Farm, in collaboration with Earthmakers of Australia and The SoilFood Web Institute  developed a Bio Recycling Program and Soil Company that  flourished  at the Farm from 2003 to 2006  This pilot program fully demonstrated that organic food waste can be successfully transformed into a high quality compost  for land remediation, food production, landscaping and greens keeping.

A waste collection truck powered by bio-diesel fuel, was purchased and a pick up program of food waste from local restaurants and green grocers was launched.  Discussions with Council regarding a Shire-wide Food Waste Conversion Project were initiated.  We were in dialogue with local restaurateurs and food markets to receive their input in refining our service.

The Bio Recycling Program converted many hundreds of tons of food waste into biologically active compost, creating a “closed-loop” nutrient system for the farm and providing all the compost needs of the farm's market gardens and poly-culture orchards. In so doing, those hundreds of tons of waste were not added to the already overloaded town landfill site.

Our aim was to provide a high level of personal service to our Green Partners or local customers, to offer participation in a program that had ecological and community benefit while supporting the regional organic food industry.

As an adjunct to The Bio-Recycling Project, the REGENESIS SOIL COMPANY was initiated.

Recognizing the ever-increasing worldwide need for healthy soil. The ReGenesis Soil Co. in 2004 began to create a high value, biologically active humus for sale to the local community.  The healthy soil was manufactured and successfully sold in the Byron Shire until Jan. 2007.

Humus is the layer of organic matter that exists between the soil and the detritus or leaf litter layers in a healthy forest.  It can be successfully manufactured from organic waste matter.

Our Process:
We layered high quality organic ingredients, then inoculated the whole mixture with beneficial microorganisms including mycorrhiza and fungi.  We carefully monitored temperature and moisture to maintain aerobic conditions through the composting and curing process.  Biologically active, nutrient rich compost was thereby manufactured over a four month period from a variety of inputs, normally seen as ‘waste'.

The ReGenesis Soil Company constantly researched and tested methods and techniques to improve the quality of our humus product.  We collaborated with The Soil Food Web Institute (SFI) on research and we entered the SFI Quality Assurance Program with excellent results.

We constantly tested our products on our own vegetables, fruits and herbs.  Our innovative straw-bale farming method allowed us to judge the quality of our product under clear controls.

Our high quality humus minimized the need for fertilizer, greatly increased water retention, reduced soil compaction and erosion, increased disease resistance, assisted nutrient uptake and contributed to higher food nutrition. 

In 2006, ReGenesis was informed that an agricultural property, like The ReGenesis Farm, was not allowed to manufacture and sell our excellent and much sought-after compost off our farm property.  A little known Town Council Regulation had been unearthed that forbade compost manufacture for use off-property.  Until that moment, neither we nor Council were aware of this regulation.  Our Bio-ReCycling Operation, as well as our Soil Co. were shut down overnight.  Our compost business was over.  Taxpaper dollars once again, had to be used to transport and get rid of the town’s restaurant food waste that we had been processing and turning into a valuable resource.

For a full year, we searched all over the region for a site with the proper Environmental Protection Agency license; none were found.  We undertook negotiations with many town councils, from Brisbane to Lismore, in an effort to initiate a partnership between ReGenesis Soil Co., any of the interested town councils,  and the local garbage pick up company.  Many were interested; none stepped up to the plate. 

State funds were being promised for a Super-site in the future.  It seemed that none of the local Councisl were willing to put up their own restricted resources when they could live on dreams and promises for the future and do nothing in the present. And, while they wait for such a super-site, the land-fills get fuller and green house gasses increase.

ReGenesis is saddened by this situation, but our hands are tied.

Any one with information about an available site, within or adjacent to Byron Shire, New South Wales, Australia, preferably with an EPA approved license, please contact the ReGenesis office at 612 66 844 068.

 NEWS MEDIA RELEASE, Byron Shire Echo, Sept, 2004