What Do The enrich360® Dehydrators Create?
How Is The Byproduct Created Sustainably?
Thanks to their incredibly low energy-consumption ratings, our dehydrators are both sustainable and cost-effective to run. In addition to this, the dehydrators prevent food from being sent to landfill, where they would otherwise decompose anaerobically (an environment with the absence of air), releasing harmful greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Instead, the enrich360® dehydrators aerate the food scraps while heating and pulverising them, preventing the production of greenhouse gases at all.
So, What Is It Made Of?
Put simply, the byproduct created by the dehydrators is a dry, dirt-like composition of the food that has been put into the machine. However, the byproduct retains the nutrients from the food without the risk of bacteria that occurs when food decomposes in a moist environment. Tests conducted by Sydney Environmental & Soil Laboratory (SESL) Australia have confirmed that the soil amendment produced by enrich360® dehydrators is sterile and pathogen-free. Therefore, the byproduct is safe to use as an organic fertiliser in any setting from commercial to residential environments.
The machines can break down an extensive list of foods including meat, bones, shellfish, fruit, vegetables, tea bags and paper towels, and operate best when ‘fed’ a variety of foods. To view the full list of food waste that can be placed into the enrich360® dehydrators, view our article ‘How To Use The Eco5’ here.
How Is The Fertiliser From enrich360® Dehydrators Being Used In The Community?
The soil amendment produced by the enrich360® dehydrators is most commonly placed back into the Earth to fuel plant growth and improve soil fertility. In the current City of Melbourne (COM) trial, for example, the byproduct produced by the six participating high-rise buildings is mostly being dispersed across gardens throughout the city. The Hawke and King ‘eco-building’ is using the organic fertiliser on their own, roof-top gardens.
In other residential areas, the soil amendments are being used to fuel both private and community vegetable gardens. Other enrich360® dehydrator-users are distributing their soil amendment to local landscaping and gardening businesses, or returning it to commercial farms through enrich360.
By mixing the soil amendment back into the ground, it can drastically improve soil structure, nutrient cycling and availability, water retention and biological activity. An increase in biological activity helps to prevent pests and diseases within the soil and instead, encourages beneficial organisms. Additionally, the soil amendment helps to replace organic matter lost through tillage. This drastically improves soil fertility, a significant environmental issue in Australia at present.
How To Apply Your Soil Amendment
With gloves, mix approximately 50 grams, or one handful of the soil amendment into enough soil to cover one square metre of land. If applying as a dust or mist, wear a particulate mask to prevent inhaling micro-organisms.
Where incorporating the amendment directly into soil is not possible, the fertiliser may be applied as a top-dressing. Rake well and water it in immediately afterwards.
