A start-up packaging company in Melbourne has joined a growing global effort to divert organic waste from landfill and is the first in Australia to do it using fungi.
Camden Cooke and Amanda Morgan first launched Fungi Solutions in 2020 with hopes to reduce waste.
Almost three years later, they have stopped about 900 kilograms of waste from heading to landfill and prevented thousands of tonnes of carbon pollution.
They combine fungi with organic waste to grow and create compostable packaging.
The pair currently work with a local wine producer Minimum Wines, using waste from the wine production to create packaging for the bottles.
How does it work?
The process starts with organic waste that would otherwise be headed for landfill — agricultural waste such as stems, seeds and cut offs, or commercial waste like textiles, cardboard paper and sawdust.
Next, the waste is broken down and combined with mycelium, the root network of fungi, and placed in a mould.
The mould is placed in a dark, warm room and grown to form in seven days. It's then dried to create a solid packaging.
The final product is able to be used in place of traditional materials such as polystyrene.
"It's just a beautiful blend of the two materials with all the great performance of a polystyrene."
After use, the packaging can be composted in the garden, preventing any waste to landfill or the environment.
What is the packaging waste problem?
Australia needs alternatives to plastic packaging given our huge waste problem, Australian Packaging Covenant chief executive Chris Foley said.
Each year in Australia, 6.3 million tonnes of packaging is put on the market, but only 54 per cent is recycled.
For every tonne of waste or packaging that goes to landfill, there are environmental impacts.
Australia has a national target to remove all single-use plastic packaging by 2025, and for all packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable.
From packaging to compost
Mushroom packaging has been created overseas, but Fungi Solutions is the first company of its kind in Australia.
