Manufacturing
2 min read
By Pedro Carreira
Updated 25 June 2026
Distilleries generate: spent botanicals and grain (compostable — excellent for farming partnerships), glass breakage, chemical cleaning waste, packaging, and high-strength wastewater (trade waste).
Spent botanicals can go to composting or animal feed. Distillery wastewater is very high in BOD — pre-treatment may be required before sewer discharge.
Monthly waste: $300–1,000. Trade waste fees: $500–2,000/year.
Key Numbers
- Monthly waste cost: $300–1,000
- Trade waste fees: $500–2,000/year
- Landfill levy (metro 2025–26): $169.79/tonne
- CDS Vic refund: 10c/container
- Independent-broker saving: up to 30%
What You Need to Know
A distillery's hardest waste is invisible: high-BOD wastewater. Discharged untreated, it can breach a trade-waste agreement and drive $500–2,000/year in fees before a single solid bin is counted. The solid streams, by contrast, are mostly assets.
- Spent botanicals and grain: compostable — a strong fit for farming or animal-feed partnerships.
- High-BOD wastewater: may need pre-treatment before sewer discharge — confirm trade-waste limits.
- Glass breakage: recycle; eligible drink containers attract 10c under CDS Vic.
- Chemical cleaning waste: assess against PIW thresholds before disposal.
Sending compostable botanicals to landfill needlessly incurs the $169.79/tonne levy, while keeping that food out of landfill aligns with the FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) Policy. As an independent broker, Bundle Waste audits your invoice for free, compares a network of providers and is paid only from the savings we find.
Related Resources
Related Questions
What waste does a Melbourne microbrewery generate compared to a large brewery?+
Microbreweries (under 200,000L/year) generate proportionally more packaging waste per litre due to smaller batch sizes. Spent grain: 50–200kg/batch (give to local farmers — free). Glass breakage: 2–5% of packaged product. Chemical cleaning waste: smaller volumes but same compliance requirements as large breweries. Monthly waste: $200–600. Trade waste agreement needed regardless of size.
How should breweries manage their waste?+
Breweries generate: spent grain (30–50% — animal feed or compost), glass, yeast slurry, chemical waste, cardboard, wastewater. Spent grain can go free to farmers. Trade waste agreements mandatory. Mid-size brewery: $500–1,500/month.
How should food manufacturers manage waste?+
Food manufacturers generate: production waste (5–15% of raw materials), packaging, wash-down water (trade waste), expired product. Mid-size manufacturer: $2,000–8,000/month. Key savings: production waste to animal feed/composting, cardboard baling.
How should wineries manage waste?+
Wineries generate: grape marc/pomace, lees, chemical waste, packaging, wastewater (high BOD). Marc can be composted or used as animal feed. Trade waste agreements required. Mid-size winery: $500–2,000/month.
How should a Melbourne commercial cheese maker manage waste?+
Cheese makers generate: whey (high-BOD liquid — significant trade waste stream), packaging, cleaning chemical waste, brine waste, and general waste. Whey has value as animal feed or whey protein processing. Trade waste agreements are critical as whey discharged untreated can cause major sewer issues. Monthly waste: $300–800. Trade waste fees can be significant ($1,000–5,000/year) without whey management.
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Updated 25 June 2026
