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HAPPY TO BE HERE: Peter Wadewitz at the official opening of the Peats Group new recycling facility in Whyalla.
The managing director of Peats Group has paid tribute to the ‘can do attitude’ of the City of Whyalla and the State and Federal Governments.
Peter Wadewitz was speaking at the official opening of Peats’ new organic recycling plant in Whyalla when he paid special tribute to Council and explained how important it was to have support from all levels of government.
“I like to thank the Whyalla Council (CEO) Chris Cowley and his staff, particularly (Director City Growth) Samantha Bowman, for the work they have done for this project,” Mr Wadewitz said.
“The ease it was to work with Council here was unbelievable.
“I’ve worked with Councils for over 45 years and this was the easiest task I’ve ever done with a Council.
“I just can’t thank them enough for the can do attitude … it means a lot to private companies to get that sort of support from local, state and federal governments.”
Mr Wadewitz explained the significance of the new organic recycling plant at the site of the present Mt Laura Waste and Recycling Centre. The plant will process the organic matter at the Mt Laura site, until the dump facilities are transferred to a new Veolia waste transfer station, while also taking in organic waste from throughout the Eyre Peninsula.
“Every year there is anywhere between 44,000 tonnes and 100,000-plus tonnes of organic waste between Port Pirie and Port Lincoln,” Mr Wadewitz said.
“From fish wastes to sludges and oyster shells, we can handle all of these materials that currently just go into landfill and create a lot of methane and other problems.
“Through this operation we can get this material back and back out to the farmers in the form material that is going to put carbon back into the soil with provide benefits for everyone.
“The whole yield is about better farming and better outcomes for our environment.”
WELCOME TO WHYALLA: Mayor Clare McLaughlin speaks during the Peats Group recycling plant opening.
Peats Group has started the Whyalla project with a giant mulcher to chew through the organic matter at the Mt Laura centre. The next stage will be to bring up a renewable energy anaerobic digestion plant to produce biogas for sale into the grid and turn the organic waste into pellets small enough to feed down farmers’ air seeders and provide a composting and nutrient agent to crops.
“The ease it was to work with Council here was unbelievable." - Peter Wadewitz
It is the same plant the company operates at Brinkley, south of Adelaide, which is struggling to keep up with demand from farmers. It is technology the company is now exporting around the world.
“We’ve sold this technology to Japan and we’ve got a family company in Qatar building exactly what we are going to have here in Whyalla,” Mr Wadewitz said during the May 8 official opening.
“The opening of our plant here in Whyalla is timely as it is World Compost Week this week.
“We are starting to see more and more people talking about compost and getting organic matter and carbon back into the ground and Whyalla is now part of that conversation.”
The Whyalla site is the first planned by Peats for the Upper Spencer Gulf region with assistance from the Australian Government’s $222.3m Regional Jobs and Investment Packages (RJIP) grant incentive. Peats was awarded one of nine Upper Spencer Gulf Region RJIP grants as it expands is South Australian operations.
Peats has a projected capital expenditure budget of $5.49 million for its Eyre Peninsula projects that it says will create 60 part-time jobs in the region over the next two years and up to 15 full-time jobs in Whyalla.
The production of compost product begun operation in Whyalla this month with plans for the renewable energy plant to be fully operational by June 30 next year.