Australia’s first benchtop dehydrator trial for managing food waste has yielded promising results for high-rise communities. Data from the 12-week pilot study conducted in 50 households in Sydney’s Inner West reveals that 2,028 litres of food waste were diverted from landfill – equivalent to 17 full 120-litre FOGO bins.
enrich360, an Australian circular economy business, provided Eco 5 benchtop dehydrator units to 50 residents at Marina Square in Wentworth Point. The units convert food waste into fertiliser that can be collected and used within communal gardens. During the 12-week study, this prevented 1,810 kilograms of CO2 emissions – comparable to planting 87 trees.
By 2030, every household must have a weekly waste service for food or garden organics (FOGO) under the NSW Government’s FOGO Recycling Act 2025. With some 5 million Australians expected to live in apartments by then, dehydrators are a convenient and compelling way to handle food waste in high-rise communities.
Similar in size to an air-fryer, the Eco 5 processes household scraps like meat, fruit, vegetables and flowers. It can even process non-compostable waste like meat bones, avocado seeds and oyster shells. It dehydrates and grinds waste, removing odour and reducing its mass by up to 90%. The resulting organic fertiliser is dry, pathogen-free, and can be used to feed plants.
According to enrich360 CEO Jaclyn Geddes, the pilot has created meaningful behavioural shifts.
“This program has created a movement at Marina Square. People have been confronted with how much food they waste each week and are rethinking their consumption habits. As the pilot went on, residents reported a noticeable drop in general waste volumes,” said Mrs Geddes.
“The pilot also shows the volume of emissions that can be reduced when high-rise residents have the right solutions. Based on these results, each apartment could save more than 200 kilograms of CO2 per year by using the dehydrator – equal to every household planting 10 trees.”
Most households had two people and ran the Eco 5 once or twice a week. All residents cited odour, pests, and lack of convenient solutions as barriers to FOGO recycling – but these were effectively overcome by the Eco 5’s design.
A further 82% of residents admitted to using general waste bins for FOGO disposal prior to the pilot. However, 50% of participants kept their Eco 5 after the pilot, and many requested units for family and friends.
Not only did the trial encourage participants to minimise food wastage, it made them more vigilant about separating waste. Many found creative ways to reuse the fertiliser created by the dehydrator.
“It’s amazing all the different types of organic waste it can pulp, and in turn, it makes a big difference in how much I throw out into general waste. We gift the fertiliser to our parents, and their gardens have been flourishing,” said one Marina Square resident.
96% of participants said they would recommend the dehydrator to others who live in apartments. Interestingly, 57% of participants were owner-occupiers and 43% were renters, demonstrating tenants’ willingness to embrace sustainable waste management.
According to Billbergia Group, the developer behind Marina Square, the Eco 5 pilot is just one way that emissions are being reduced within the new urban precinct.
“Wentworth Point is one of the Inner West’s greenest high-density suburbs. The pioneering Eco 5 trial reflects this, with further sustainability initiatives also underway throughout Marina Square – such as a large-scale LED lighting upgrade and a proposal for kerbside EV charging,” said Saul Moran, Development Director – Planning and Design at Billbergia Group.
CASE STUDY: MARK GREEN
Eco-conscious Marina Square resident Mark Green has long championed recycling within his community. He had been searching for methods to increase FOGO recycling across Marina Square’s eight buildings, which collectively house around 1,500 residents.
He initially coordinated a high-rise FOGO trial, providing green bins across the precinct for residents to place food scraps. However, it proved troublesome, with the usual problems faced by FOGO in high-rise living – including smells, pests, and contamination.
Soon after, he helped champion the Eco 5 pilot, becoming the first resident to use it. Mark has described the pilot as a game-changer. Aside from reducing food waste volumes, the conclusion of the Eco 5 trial has changed residents’ behaviour – including his own.
“It’s amazing to see the impact it’s had, not just on myself but my neighbours too. Residents are already using the fertiliser in their pot plants and in our communal gardens,” said Mark.
“We find ourselves producing less fertiliser from the Eco 5 now, because when we place our food scraps inside, we realise just how much we waste. So, we now focus on buying smarter and minimising waste.”
Mark expressed that he would like to see the Eco 5 adopted in apartment buildings across Sydney, and views it as an innovative way to enable FOGO recycling in high-density communities.
“FOGO recycling in high-rise buildings is a challenge, but if we rolled out the Eco 5 across the state, we’d have less problems getting people to recycle their food waste – no more issues than we would have with our standard red and yellow bins,” Mark added.