Technical Information

Quality and Australian Standards

BioWise products complies with stringent microbial and chemical contaminant criteria for unrestricted use (ARMCANZ grade A) and all criteria for Australian Standard AS 4454.

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AS 4454 compost use will have a significant benefit to growers, like yourself, in and around Perth by improving the organic matter content of the sandy soils used for horticulture.

Over the short-term use of AS 4454 compost or mulch should provide users with a number of benefits, including:

1. Increased water retention and penetration of soils (so less irrigation operating time is needed)
2. A reduction in the requirement to add trace elements to the soil
3. A reduction in the amount of chemical fertiliser required to maintain the same plant growth.
4. Improved restistance of plants to disease or fungal problems and so a reduced need for soil fumigants or pesticides
5. Often improved plant appearance

Over the long-term (more than 2-3 years) the above-mentioned benefits will continue and the use of compost will have profound effects on:

1. Soil organic matter
2. Soil structure
3. Nutrient retention and banking in the soil
4. Soil wettability
5. Moisture retention
6. Soil cation exchange capacity
7. Plant health
8. Reduced erosion and reduced water use

Compost Quality
One of the key means of ensuring that a composting facility produces quality compost is to ensure that the quality of the different feedstocks used is known. This is best determined through analysis of physical and chemical properties, including nutrient levels, carbon levels and potential contaminant levels.

Quality control is essential in ensuring that a composting facility produces a consistent and high quality product.

Compost quality at the BioWise facility will be maintained through a quality management plan, which covers the following key issues:

1. Communication with feedstock suppliers to ensure feedstocks are clean
2. Regular analysis of feedstocks for nutrients, carbon content and contaminants
3. Feedstock blending to achieve low contaminant levels and the required carbon to nitrogen ratio
4. Regular process monitoring to ensure that temperatures, oxygen and moisture levels are kept in the desired range to produce quality compost
5. Screening of compost to the required particle size grades
6. Analysis of the compost product to ensure that it complies with the standard required by customers
7. Health and safety for both you, the customer, and our workers at the site

This all means that you receive a product with the quality assured by the relevant Australian Standards and ARMCANZ criteria. The adoption of AS 4454 by BioWise also demonstrates responsible corporate citizenship and will help organisations using BioWise to fulfil their duty of care obligations to their customers in relationship to the supply of soil conditioners and mulches.

While for you, the customer, soil conditioners and mulches complying with AS4454 can ensure adequate water and nutrient capacity in soils, reduce the requirements for watering, and encourage propagation of plants.

Use of BioWise shows that you are ecologically minded and care about the environment.

Add BioWise to your soil and you're already on your way to raising a beautiful, healthy garden organically.

For more information on AS 4454, go to the Standards Australia website

Quality Assurance

Finished Product Specifications:

 Standards mark composted mulch AS 4454:1999 Product ID: coarse mulch

 Standards mark composted fine mulch AS 4454:1999 Product ID: fine mulch

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