EASTERN Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) has received a $200,000 state government funding boost under the WasteSorted organics infrastructure program.

EMRC currently operates a mobile aerated floor system (MAF) to process the food organics garden organics (FOGO) material delivered to its Red Hill waste management facility.

Contaminated FOGO material is adding to the spread of windblown litter, odour and emissions at the MAF processing site.

Under the funding arrangement, EMRC will construct a purpose-built hardstand to accommodate the processing site and the project is to add on a picking station to remove the contaminants before processing of the organic material.

The council is one of five operators of organics recycling facilities to share $850,000 in funding under the WasteSorted program, with each operator receiving a grant of up to $200,000.

These grants will help organics processing facilities meet the outcomes of the state government’s better practice organics recycling guideline to improve environmental sustainability in their operations.

The projects have been selected to fast-track infrastructure upgrades, and support the processing of FOGO collected by local governments.

This infrastructure will support many of the 18 WA councils that already have FOGO and increase support for the further 12 committed to the rollout by 2025.

EMRC joins the City of Albany, Resource Recovery Group, Purearth and C-Wise Holdings organics processing facilities that have been selected to receive funding.

Environment Minister Reece Whitby said the grants would add to a range of existing funding the state government is providing to support the FOGO roll-out in WA, including the recently announced food waste for healthy soils program.