It seems that compost is a subject that is exercising the minds of many across the shire, and Maldon resident Oliver Messenger is one of them. He has invented a composting system that has been granted an Australian patent with an international patent in the works.

“My wife is a keen gardener, and our bin was always overflowing. I’m a retired engineer, so I decided I might be able to do something about it,” Oliver said. It took five or six experimental models, but he believes that he has invented a novel composting method that’s high capacity and faster than anything else that’s available.

Oliver’s aluminium prototype has an internal composter of 480 litres and over the past 12 months has processed an astonishing six cubic metres of green and household waste. He uses a mulcher to shred garden waste down to a compostable size.

The enclosed bins are protected from vermin and weather, the composting is totally aerobic and odourless, and the bottom section of the composter is home to a thriving population of worms.

“It’s a simple system with shredded green material, kitchen scraps, paper and cardboard in at the top, and compost at the bottom,” Oliver said. He sees his invention as a development that would revolutionise future waste management.

“A bin in every house processing kitchen and garden waste would save council collection costs and reduce collection volumes in the current waste bin,” Oliver said.

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 5 June 2026.