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The debate around compostable packaging is heating up! NSW has already banned compostable packaging from FOGO while Victoria and several councils across Australia are currently considering restrictions or outright bans on these products in their organic waste streams. These moves are often framed as necessary precautions to manage perceived “risks” and “uncertainty”.
Compostable packaging has been carefully designed over decades, with certified products playing a key role in the circular economy by reducing landfill waste and improving food organics recovery. Yet, broad bans on these solutions could slow progress toward better waste management, leaving Australia grappling with low recycling rates, contaminated organics streams, and inefficient recovery systems.
In this article, we cut through the confusion and examine the science behind compostable packaging, shedding light on its real impact. Let’s explore why informed, research-backed decisions are essential to driving Australia’s circular economy forward.
Is certified compostable packaging genuinely a risk to organic waste recovery systems, or is misinformation getting in the way? The Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA) commissioned an in-depth study titled A review of the benefits and risks of including certified compostable packaging in organic food recovery systems. Led by Bill Grant, Research Fellow at Federation University’s Future Regions Research Centre, the study examines and challenges the NSW EPA’s claims that led to the exclusion of compostable packaging from FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) kerbside bins.
Grant’s research focuses on two key areas:
Certified compostable packaging that meets Australian Industrially Compostable AS4736 and Home Compostable AS5810 Standards, along with ABA’s additional certification requirements, poses little to no risk to commercial composting systems. In fact, these products can enhance food organics recovery when incorporated into FO and FOGO programs.
When paired with proper community education and effective contamination management at composting facilities, compostable packaging helps maintain cleaner organic waste streams. Concerns about chemical contamination, microplastics, or ecotoxicity from certified compostable materials are not backed by rigorous scientific evidence.
The NSW EPA’s reports on the chemical and toxicity risks of compostable packaging have shortcomings and do not accurately reflect the impact of most ABA-certified compostable products. Their analysis focused on a limited selection of uncertified, non-compostable items, overlooking fibre-based materials and the rigorous testing that certified products undergo.
Bill Grant’s research challenges these misconceptions and provides a clearer picture of the three key risks:
The risks associated with compostable packaging can be effectively managed through proper certification and regulation. Enforcing compliance with ABA standards, coupled with routine testing of ABA-certified products, ensures that compostable packaging remains a safe and sustainable solution for organic waste recovery
To ensure organics recovery systems operate effectively, processing centres can implement screening technologies, sorting procedures, and trained staff to remove non-compostable contaminants, ensuring that certified compostable packaging is processed correctly. Councils and businesses can further support this by setting contract conditions with their waste management providers that mandate the inclusion of compostable packaging in FO and FOGO services. Selecting composters with the right systems in place, such as those that exclude short-period organic processors, helps manage compostable packaging effectively, reducing contamination and improving organic waste recovery.
Stronger regulation is essential to reducing the number of misleading, lookalike products that closely resemble certified compostable packaging. These deceptive products create confusion and cause the contamination of FOGO services, undermining efforts to keep organic waste streams clean. To address this issue, clear packaging standards and labelling regulations must be implemented to prevent non-compostable packaging from being mistaken for compostable alternatives.
However, regulation alone won’t solve the problem. Education plays a crucial role in helping both consumers and businesses recognise compostable certifications, distinguish certified products from lookalike packaging, and understand the correct disposal methods to ensure compostable packaging reaches the right waste stream.
At Compost Connect, we offer a wealth of educational resources for both businesses and individuals looking to manage their waste and compost. Through initiatives like Compost for Climate, they can become champions for composting by learning how to compost at home or in their business, understanding home and industrial compostable logos, knowing what belongs in their compost bin, and urging local councils to expand composting programs.
Critics claim that certified compostable packaging does not align with circular economy principles. But such arguments overlook several key benefits:
The NSW EPA’s claim that compostable bioplastics do not add value to compost misses the bigger picture. While compostable materials provide similar carbon benefits to some food organics, their true impact lies in boosting food waste recovery, reducing contamination, and preventing microplastic pollution in soil.
The core mission of Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) services is to divert food waste from landfill, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and turn organic waste into nutrient-rich compost. This aligns with the circular economy by ensuring that waste is transformed into a valuable resource rather than being discarded.
Policies or misconceptions that limit the role of compostable packaging risk undermining FOGO’s effectiveness. Restrictive measures can reduce food waste recovery and diminish the environmental benefits of organics recycling programs.
International case studies show the positive impact of integrating certified compostable packaging into FOGO systems. Italy and South Australia embrace compostable solutions and have reported lower contamination rates and higher-quality compost, demonstrating that certified compostables can enhance organic waste recovery rather than hinder it.
Rather than viewing certified compostable packaging as a challenge, recognising it as a solution can help align policies with broader sustainability, resource efficiency, and environmental regeneration goals. To unlock the full potential of compostable products in FOGO systems, here are six practical steps:
Restricting compostable packaging from FOGO is a step in the wrong direction. Excluding these undermines Australia’s progress toward a circular economy and creates unnecessary roadblocks to effective organic waste recovery. By banning compostable products, we risk:
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