Flagship storm waste facility reaches 63,000 tonne milestone
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Mr O’Sullivan said the Romsey site overcomes these challenges by operating with local crews and specialist machinery, including four Lucas mills, two tub-grinders for mulching, specialised firewood processing machinery, a weighbridge and forestry forwarders.
“The team at Romsey have used their extensive industry experience to problem solve and implement creative solutions so wood is processed efficiently and maximises the return to the community.”
“Thinking big and outside the box has been a key element to the success of the flagship Romsey site,” he said.
The Macedon Ranges Shire Council and Bushfire Recovery Victoria (BRV) flagship storm waste facility in Romsey has reached a milestone of 63,000 tonnes of green waste received from across Victoria.
This one of a kind facility processes green waste generated by storms that affected the Macedon Ranges and other storm-affected areas throughout Victoria.
Bernie O’Sullivan, Macedon Ranges Shire Council CEO, said reaching the 63,000 tonne milestone in just over six months shows how integral the facility is to storm response and recovery.
“The Romsey facility has allowed us to not only clear and process storm waste faster and on an enormous scale, but up-cycle waste into products which create a benefit for affected communities, such as firewood, tree stakes, fence posts, and smoking chips.”
“It’s been a collaborative effort and I would like to acknowledge this significant partnership with Bushfire Recovery Victoria. Partnering with BRV allowed us to scale our operation and process trees from other storm affected parts of Victoria, leading to a better outcome for our community and many others,” he said.
Since its creation, the Romsey site has so far:
Supplied ten different Men’s Sheds across six shires with timber for their community projects Created 50 kilometres of fencing supplies, as well as retaining wall sleepers, for local residents and primary producers across the worst storm-affected farms and communities Milled 11,500 stakes for Council tree planting programs, saving thousands of dollars Created free firewood for nearly 2,000 residents 90 truckloads of root balls to enhance fish breeding habitat within rivers and water systems across 10 different water catchment authorities 225 cubic metres of sawdust delivered to local pig farmers Processed 180,000 cubic metres of mulch, with free mulch available at transfer stationsOne of the challenges for clean up efforts across Victoria has been the size of trees felled by storms and the machinery required to deal with it.