As Australia expands its food organics and garden organics (FOGO) recycling infrastructure, Vastum Engineering is working with Italian company Mion Ventoltermica Depurazioni (MVT) to introduce new composting and waste processing technologies to the local market through an agreement signed earlier in 2026.
Vastum has established strategic partnerships with a number of specialist mechanical and electrical installation contractors across Australia. It also works alongside a Tier 3 EPC contractor under a joint venture arrangement, allowing it to provide complete project delivery capability from engineering and technology selection through to construction, commissioning and ongoing support.
Vastum Engineering director, Amir Tadros, first encountered MVT at IFAT in 2024 and quickly recognised the potential for the company’s technology. While MVT had focused primarily on the European market, Tadros believed its expertise could help address growing demand as Australia’s organics sector continues to develop.
“I saw they have a great technology,” said Tadros. “I saw the opportunity here in Australia, because the organics market will be expanding vastly in the next few years. We need new entrants; a company to shake and break the market a little bit. MVT was the perfect fit.”
Founded in 1968, MVT designs and delivers turnkey waste treatment systems that combine mechanical, biological and air treatment technologies into integrated engineered solutions. Rather than supplying standardised equipment, the company develops each project around a customer’s operational requirements, supporting clients from consulting and engineering through to manufacturing, installation, commissioning and after-sales service. The company has completed more than 5,400 projects across more than 40 countries.
“They bring the technologies and know-how, whereas Vastum will bring the local experience, the local knowledge of the market, project delivery and project management,” he said.
MVT’s capabilities span several areas of waste management, including organic composting, municipal solid waste processing, air treatment with odour removal using scrubbers, and air purification and dust control. Working together, the companies aim to combine internationally proven technology with local engineering support to deliver efficient and sustainable recycling infrastructure for Australia’s growing organics sector.
Engineered for efficient organics processing
According to Paolo Mion, CEO of MVT, Australia’s investment in FOGO presents an opportunity for advanced composting technologies to come to the fore.
“Our composting systems have been specifically developed to process organic waste efficiently while meeting increasingly stringent environmental standards,” he said.
Mion said the technology is centred on biocells, enclosed and watertight structures with aerated floors, where temperature, oxygen and moisture are continuously monitored and controlled through the proprietary MVT software platform. This ensures fast, consistent biostabilisation and biodrying processes regardless of external weather conditions.
For Tadros, the composting technology broadens the range of solutions available to Australian customers.
“They bring in-vessel composting, or tunnel composting, which is available here in the Australian market already, but only maybe a handful of companies offer this technology,” he said. “To have another company offer it will bring more competition.”
One feature that stood out to Tadros was MVT’s ability to deliver composting systems for operations of different sizes.
“They can offer modular small plants, doing some composting inside a container, and containerised modular composting plants for small operators,” he said. “They can do the small modular for small players, and they can do the very large projects.”
Rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, Mion said MVT customises each installation according to local waste characteristics, processing capacity, regulatory requirements and future expansion plans. This makes the technology suitable for both new facilities and upgrades to existing composting plants.
During a visit to Italy, Tadros toured one of MVT’s large facilities outside Rome and also pointed to projects the company has delivered in Singapore. He said the company’s experience demonstrates its ability to work across a range of applications while providing technology suited to both emerging operators and large-scale facilities.
“Our solutions stand out for their high level of automation, energy efficiency and process reliability,” said Mion.
Integrated odour control and automation
Odour management forms a core part of MVT’s engineering approach. Rather than treating emissions as a separate process, the company incorporates automated air extraction and treatment throughout the facility.
“Effective odour management begins with controlling airflow throughout the entire facility,” said Mion.
Process air is continuously extracted from waste reception areas, composting biocells and processing buildings to ensure odorous air remains contained during every stage of treatment. The extracted air then passes through combinations of scrubbers, biofilters and other treatment systems selected to suit each application.
Mion explained that scrubbers remove pollutants and odorous compounds through physico-chemical absorption, while biofilters use naturally occurring microorganisms to reduce atmospheric emissions.
“The entire process is continuously monitored and automatically controlled, allowing airflow rates and treatment performance to be optimised in real time while minimising energy consumption and ensuring consistently high environmental performance,” he said.
Automation is another defining feature of the technology. MVT’s proprietary software integrates sensors, PLCs and a dedicated control platform to monitor and manage composting, biostabilisation, biodrying and exhaust air treatment processes in real time.
The control system continuously monitors temperature, oxygen concentration, airflow and moisture before automatically adjusting operating conditions to maintain optimum biological activity. This reduces operator intervention, improves process consistency, and minimises the risk of human error.
Continuous monitoring also supports predictive maintenance by identifying potential issues before they affect production, helping reduce downtime and extend equipment life. Remote monitoring and teleservice functions allow MVT engineers to provide technical assistance regardless of plant location.
Mion said automation also optimises energy consumption and resource utilisation while helping operators lower operating costs over the life of the plant.
“The MVT software therefore represents one of the key differentiating elements of our technology,” he said. “It combines automation, sustainability, operational reliability and high process performance within a single, integrated management system.”
The technology also supports material and energy recovery through compost Refuse-Derived Fuel production, while reducing waste volumes and maintaining high environmental performance through emission, odour and leachate control.
Tailoring technology for Australian conditions
MVT’s experience delivering projects across Europe, Asia and other international markets has reinforced the importance of designing facilities around local operating conditions rather than replicating existing plants.
“Successful waste treatment facilities cannot simply replicate existing solutions. They must be designed around these local conditions,” said Mion. He said climate, waste composition, regulations, operator experience and community expectations all influence plant design. For Australia, this means developing facilities capable of delivering reliable operation under local conditions while remaining flexible enough to adapt as regulations and market requirements evolve.
The company’s engineering capability is supported by an integrated manufacturing facility covering about 40,000 square metres where steel fabrication and final plant assembly are completed under direct quality control. An additional 6,000 square metres of production space is being added to support growing international demand.
While the partnership is still in its early stages, Vastum Engineering is already pursuing Australian opportunities.
“We signed this year’s exclusivity agreement and we are bidding for a couple of opportunities at the moment,” said Tadros. “One of them is odour management of a scrubber system for a transfer station.”
Tadros said the business has been built around collaboration with specialist partners and this now includes MVT.
“The whole idea of collaboration is based on having the experts to contribute, so when we secure a large organic composting project, we have all the pieces ready,” he said.
Mion also sees openings as investment in Australia’s resource recovery infrastructure continues.
“We see strong opportunities for composting systems, advanced odour control technologies, automated process management and integrated air treatment solutions,” he said.