Over The Horizon

Kiwi Composting in Hanoi

Urban waste from the Vietnamese city of Hanoi will be turned into useful and valuable compost, using New Zealand technology.

The project will use techniques developed by the Meat Industry Research Institute of New Zealand, and will be funded through the United Nations.

The waste will be composted in aerated bins to control the temperature and quickly produce a stable compost.

It's a technique MIRINZ has spent some years developing. Initial tests used open piles of compost with air blown through from underneath, and a bin system has now been developed.

A similar plant is being constructed in Rotorua, to process sewage sludge from the city's wastewater treatment station. It will produce 15,000 cubic metres of compost annually for sale to farmers and gardeners from June next year.