ReWaste was established by Yarra Valley Water to reduce its’ carbon emissions and reliance on coal powered energy.
Our Wollert facility has the capacity to process 30,000 tonnes and produce approximately 7,500MWh of clean electricity per year. Our Lilydale is under construction and due to open in 2025. This facility will have capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of food waste and produce 13,000MWh of clean electricity per year.
These innovative facilities will enable Yarra Valley Water to reach net zero emissions, reduce operational costs and keep pressure of customers’ water bills.
Yarra Valley Water
Yarra Valley Water is the largest of Melbourne’s water corporations and provides clean water to the people and businesses in Melbourne’s east and take their sewage away. Every day, more than 2 million people – around 30% of the state’s population – and 61,000 businesses rely on Yarra Valley Water’s water and sanitation services.

The process of turning food waste into energy occurs in three stages:
Stage 1 – receiving the waste
Commercial food waste is delivered to the food receival hall and fed into sealed tanks called digesters.
Stage 2 – digesting the waste
Bacteria in the digesters break down the waste waste, producing biogas through the process. Biogas is a mixture of gases, which is mostly methane and a renewable alternative to natural gas.
Stage 3 – making clean energy
The biogas fuels an engine which generates electricity. The electricity is used to power infrastructure and exported to the main grid.
As well as producing biogas, the process also produces digestate.
Digestate is a nutrient rich product that has many possible uses. We are committed to finding ways to reuse this material in a variety of sustainable agriculture products.
How do I become a customer?
We only accept commercial and retail food waste. We are not equipt to process residential or kerbside waste.
If you produce commercial or retail food waste get in touch with the ReWaste team via the contact us page. We will ask you to provide some information on your waste and will be in touch with the next steps.
What are the benefits of using ReWaste?
ReWaste offers a cost effective and sustainable solution for the disposal of organic waste. Our process captures any emissions that would have been generated through decomposition of the waste.
Our services do not incur the government waste levy and therefore more cost effective for your business.
How is anaerobic digestion different from composting?
Composting is undertaken in the presence of oxygen. Our process is in the absence of oxygen and in enclosed tanks. We capture the biogas and convert into green energy, preventing emissions.
Do you incinerate or burn your waste?
We don’t incinerate or burn waste. The anaerobic digestion process uses bacteria to treat the food waste. Read more about the process in the about section.
What is the role of anaerobic digestion in the circular economy?
Anaerobic Digestion plays an important role in the circular economy through the generation of green energy and enables the nutrients in food waste to be returned to the soil when used as a fertiliser or soil conditioner.
What is digestate?
Digestate is the nutrient rich by-product of the anerobic digestion process. Digestate can be used in place of synthetic fertiliser. Digestate as a way to close the loop on the nutrient cycle.
Is there a minimum amount of waste you accept?
We currently have no minimum delivery quantities. We only accept commercial and industrial food waste.
Do you treat sewage?
We do not accept any sewage or biosolids at our ReWaste facilities. Yarra Valley Water does treat sewage; however our facility only accepts commercial food waste.
How do you manage odour?
ReWaste has active odour management systems place and must meet strict odour management requirements set by our regulator, the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA). We're committed to being a good neighbour for residents and businesses in Wollert. We want to hear from anyone who has any concerns about odours so we can investigate and take action if needed.
Do you accept packaged waste?
Our Lilydale facility will be able to accept most types of packaged waste. Get in touch to find out more.
How much waste can ReWaste process?
Our Wollert facility can process 140 tonnes per day or around 30,000 tonnes per year. Our Lilydale facility will process around 50,000 tonnes per year.
What types of waste can’t be processed at ReWaste?
We can only accept commercial food waste. We don’t accept residential food waste due to contamination risk. We also don’t accept any food waste in compostable bags.
How do the costs compare to landfill?
ReWaste offers a competitive alternative to landfill. Our services do not incur the government waste levy.
Does the waste have to be separated?
ReWaste Wollert only accepts uncontaminated waste.