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The New Inventors – Series 1 Episode 8 (2004)

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Modern alchemy education content clip 2

Original classification rating: G. This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Inventor John Walker has found a way of turning landfill into compost, a form of contemporary alchemy. It’s a system capable of functioning on a huge scale, very economically.

Curator’s notes

This clip is a good example of how the show is able to set up and explain complicated inventions quickly and simply. Introducing the inventor with some simple graphics then letting him or her speak personalises the inventor and draws us in, so we have a vested interest in the outcome.

Each week the audience is given information on how to submit an invention to the program. At the end of the program viewers at home are invited to vote on their personal choice. This form of interaction is made possible through the online communication between the program makers and the audience. At the end of the series an overall winner is chosen.

Teacher’s notes

provided by The Le@rning FederationEducation Services Australia

This clip shows a segment from the television series The New Inventors featuring an inventor, John Walker, who describes two of his inventions – the TumbleTainer and the VermiTainer, which together turn landfill into compost. The clip shows the TumbleTainer (a very large container that is rotated mechanically), a bio-filter that extracts odours and the VermiTainer (a worm farm). James O’Loghlin, the host of the show, opens the clip and welcomes Walker into the studio. Music accompanies the clip at key moments.

Educational value points

  • The inventions in the clip offer a solution to a significant environmental problem, the disposal of a city’s organic waste. Australians generate about 14 million tonnes of waste each year, and organic waste is by far the largest proportion of waste thrown out by Australian households. Putting garbage into landfill uses potentially valuable land, generates pollutants and creates odours and dust. The inventions shown provide a cost-efficient alternative to landfill.
  • The format of The New Inventors makes serious subjects entertaining for television viewers. In the clip the host creates interest and sets up expectations in his brief introduction to the inventor by calling him a ‘modern day alchemist’. Graphics and a music ‘grab’ segment the show. Intriguing captions personalise the inventor. Filming is economical, and captions, swelling music and a voice-over explain and demonstrate the inventions.
  • The huge scale of Walker’s inventions as depicted in the clip belies the simple principles that underlie their operation. The TumbleTainer is essentially a giant composting bin and the VermiTainer is a giant worm farm that turns organic waste into compost. Each VermiTainer can process up to 1,000 kg of green waste per day.
  • Walker’s innovative adaptations of existing technologies provides an example of Australian inventiveness and ingenuity. Walker saw a way of adapting the compost bin and the worm farm to deal with large-scale waste disposal. He then adapted a product, available worldwide at an economical price, the sea container. Finally he saw the economic potential for using worm casts produced from the process as fertilisers.
  • The inventions in the clip address important environmental considerations. TumbleTainers are made from recycled decommissioned sea containers, which can be transported using standard transport systems. Unlike current disposal systems the TumbleTainer and VermiTainer do not produce odour or health risks and they reduce greenhouse gases and underground pollution. TumbleTainers can be powered by solar or methane generators and require minimal labour.
  • The clip is from one of the most successful Australian television shows, The New Inventors, a new series of The Inventors, which began in 1970. Many successful inventions have been featured including the Sarich orbital engine, the Swirlon rotary brush and the solar energy tracker. The essential format has not changed since the show’s inception. A host and three panel members quiz the inventor and then vote for the best invention on each program.

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This clip is available for download for the limited purpose of criticism and review in an educational context. You must obtain permission from editorial@aso.gov.au for all other purposes for use of this material.

Terms & Conditions

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described here and elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions. ALL rights are reserved.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading this clip:

When you access ABC materials on australianscreen you agree that:

  1. You may download this clip to assist your information, criticism and review purposes in conjunction with viewing this website only;
  2. Downloading this clip for purposes other than criticism and review is Prohibited;
  3. Downloading for purposes other than non-commercial educational uses is Prohibited;
  4. Downloading this clip in association with any commercial purpose is Prohibited;

The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

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