Queensland’s Composting Momentum: FOGO Gains Ground Across Councils

While the FOGO rollout in Queensland has faced significant delays and shortcomings, the state is quietly making strides in composting and organic recovery. Councils and the government are initiating programs, rolling out new green-lid bin collections, and piloting food organics and garden organics services that show meaningful wins in reducing landfill loads. Take a look at where progress is happening and how it might scale for improving sustainability.

Queensland’s FOGO Strategy and Targets

The Queensland Organics Strategy 2022–2032 outlines a roadmap for waste reduction, with ambitious targets including an 80% diversion of organic waste from landfill by 2030. To support this goal, the government has committed $151 million to help local councils roll out FOGO services, aiming for 80% of households to have access by 2025. But the strategy goes beyond just green bins. It includes helping people reduce food waste at home and creating demand for products made from recycled organic materials. And the GROW FOGO Fund is a key component of the plan.

The Growing the Recovery of Organic Waste via Food Organic Garden Organic (GROW FOGO) Fund has been established to help councils expand or introduce kerbside FOGO services, with funding available until 2027 and a vision for continued rollout through 2032. If successfully implemented, Queensland could transform its waste system, turning vast amounts of organic material from landfill into valuable compost.

As of August 2025, over $41 million has been approved to support FOGO rollout across seven councils, helping to distribute over 464,000 additional green-lid bins and divert an estimated 100,000 tonnes of organic waste annually.

FOGO Wins & Momentum in Queensland

Green-Lid Bin Expansion

Between 2021–22 and 2023–24, the number of green-lid bins in Queensland increased by 55%, reaching over 526,000 households (Queenland Audit Office). These bins initially collect garden organics, but many councils are using them as a stepping stone to full FOGO services.

In 2024, these services collected 143,751 tonnes of organic material, an increase of 28,400 tonnes over 2022–23 figures (Queensland Government). Councils like Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, and Gold Coast have significantly increased bin distribution, are trialling food waste collection, and are exploring home and community composting programs.

City of Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay Regional Council has launched a FOGO trial, transitioning from garden waste to a full food and garden organics service. The goal is to boost the region’s recycling rate from 45% to over 60%. Since December 2024, the council reports that more than 20,000 tonnes of green waste have been diverted from landfill.

Rockhampton Regional Council

Rockhampton is exploring FOGO services through multiple initiatives. The council has opened an expressions-of-interest process for an organics processing facility, a crucial step towards handling increased waste volumes. It’s also assessing the potential cost implications and the benefits of diverting food waste from landfill.

In 2021, Rockhampton Regional Council and the Queensland Government launched a FOGO/GO collection service trial in line with the Queensland Government’s Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy and Queensland Organics Strategy and Action Plan. As part of the trial, 750 selected households in the Rockhampton Region received a Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) bin or Garden Organics (GO) bin.

The results were strong: households with the GO service diverted 41% of their total household waste from landfill, while households with the FOGO service diverted 67%.

Townsville City Council

Townsville has engaged in community consultations to explore the possibility of a FOGO rollout. The feedback shows strong public support, with 85% of respondents supporting the Council’s potential implementation of a FOGO service in the future. But issues such as processing capacity and how often waste would be collected must be addressed before full implementation.

The Future of FOGO in Queensland

Queensland’s composting future is gaining momentum. With over half a million green-lid bins now in service and millions in new funding, the building blocks for statewide FOGO access are coming together. However, infrastructure capacity, odour regulations, and data transparency remain challenges. To achieve its ambitious waste diversion targets, strong cooperation between state and local governments is essential.

The FOGO/GO trial in Rockhampton is a promising example that councils need financial and infrastructural support to ensure FOGO collection is both feasible and sustainable. Increased public awareness and education campaigns will also play a key role in encouraging household participation and ensuring waste is correctly sorted.

At a national level, Queensland’s FOGO efforts align with Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan, which aims to reduce waste, increase resource recovery, and transition to a more circular economy by 2030. Learning from successful FOGO rollouts in Victoria and South Australia, where large-scale organic waste collection is already in place, could help guide Queensland’s expansion.

A well executed FOGO program has the potential to bring real environmental, economic, and social benefits. It will support Queensland’s shift towards a circular economy and reduce reliance on landfill. With the right mix of policy follow-through, infrastructure investment, and education, Queensland’s shift to a circular waste system is well underway.