Compost is an excellent resource for conserving soil and ameliorating soil properties. Waste management and the composting of organics becomes a theme right through the course. In their first year students examine the organic waste generated at the Queen Victoria Market, one of the largest retail produce markets in the world. Students review waste systems at the market, with a special emphasis on organic waste generated by the many fruit and vegetable stalls. Organic matter is the main source of waste at the market, and is currently transported about forty kilometres to be dumped in landfill.
Students devise separate collection systems and locate a suitable site for a composting facility.
They then calculate the throughput and design the layout for the composting facility. Final-year students can choose to undertake major design projects involving composting, and this can relate to issues in Asian countries. For example two students have investigated waste options for their home cities of Singapore and Dhaka in Bangladesh. Details on waste streams from the cities were collated and strategically placed compost facilities were designed to accommodate the organic waste derived in these urban centres. An example of practical research is that of international student Yinbang Bao from Beijing, who analysed composted garden material at the City of Brighton in Melbourne.