Manufacturing
3 min read
By Pedro Carreira
Updated 25 June 2026
Essential oil distilleries generate spent plant material after distillation, wastewater from steam distillation, packaging, and general waste.
Spent plant material is by far the dominant stream — it makes up the bulk of the raw material weight and is excellent for composting. Lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree spent material is particularly good for composting.
Monthly waste: $100–500 depending on production volume. Partner with local composters.
Key Numbers
- Dominant stream: Spent plant material
- Typical monthly waste cost: $100–500
- Metro landfill levy (2025–26): $169.79/tonne
- FOGO statewide: by 2030
What You Need to Know
In an essential oil distillery, spent plant material makes up the bulk of your raw-material weight by the time the oil is extracted — so getting it out of the general bin is where the cost lives. Sent to landfill it attracts the levy by the tonne; composted, it becomes a feedstock someone else will take. The best-performing inputs are predictable:
- Lavender — clean, fibrous spent material that composts readily
- Eucalyptus — high volume, well-suited to green-waste streams
- Tea tree — another standout for composting partnerships
- Wastewater — distillation effluent, kept separate from the solid organic stream
Diverting spent botanicals also keeps you aligned with the FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) Policy, which is rolling out statewide by 2030 and separates organics from landfill. Bundle Waste is an independent broker: our free invoice audit confirms whether you're paying landfill rates on compostable material, we compare a network of providers, and we're paid only from the savings we find.
Related Resources
Related Questions
How should a Melbourne vertical farm manage waste?+
Vertical farms generate: crop residue (compostable), spent growing media (depending on type — some recyclable), nutrient solution waste, plastic packaging, and equipment waste (LED lights — e-waste). Crop residue volume is high relative to facility size. Nutrient runoff must not enter stormwater. Monthly waste: $200–600. Composting crop residue on-site or partnering with local farms is most cost-effective.
How should a Melbourne commercial mushroom farm manage waste?+
Mushroom farms generate: spent mushroom substrate (high volume — excellent soil conditioner, give to farmers or sell at $0–20/tonne), packaging, and general waste. Spent substrate is the dominant waste stream by far. Finding outlets for spent substrate eliminates the largest waste cost. Fresh substrate can be reused 2–3 times. Monthly general waste: $100–300. Substrate disposal if no outlet: $60–100/tonne.
How should a Melbourne plant-based food manufacturer manage waste?+
Plant-based food manufacturers generate: vegetable processing waste (excellent for composting), packaging, wash-down water (trade waste), and general waste. Vegetable processing waste is the dominant stream, with smaller volumes of packaging and general waste alongside trade-waste wash-down water. High-protein waste (e.g., from tofu production) has value as animal feed. Soy whey from tofu is high-BOD trade waste requiring pre-treatment. Monthly waste: $500–2,000. Composting organic waste diverts the majority from landfill at lower cost.
How should a Melbourne commercial fruit and vegetable processor manage waste?+
Fruit and veg processors generate enormous organic waste: 20–60% of raw material becomes waste (peels, stems, seeds, off-cuts). A mid-size processor generates 5–20 tonnes/week of organic waste. Composting at $100–160/tonne is far cheaper than landfill. Some waste streams have value: citrus peel for essential oils, apple pomace for cider, vegetable pulp for animal feed. Monthly waste: $2,000–8,000.
What waste does a Melbourne commercial aquaponics farm generate?+
Aquaponics farms generate: fish waste (managed within the system as plant nutrients), crop residue (compostable), dead fish (compostable in small quantities, rendering for larger volumes), packaging, and equipment waste. The closed-loop nature of aquaponics minimises waste. Main external waste is crop residue and packaging. Monthly waste: $50–200. Excess fish waste has value as garden fertiliser.
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Updated 25 June 2026
