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Queensland is facing significant challenges in meeting its environmental targets for organic waste diversion, with only a small portion of food waste currently being captured through existing programs. Despite ambitious goals to reduce landfill waste, the rollout of Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection services has been slow and inconsistent across the state. While the government has introduced policies and funding to support FOGO expansion, many councils are yet to implement comprehensive collection services, leaving Queensland lagging behind in its efforts to transition towards a circular economy.
Recent data highlights the urgency of action. According to the Queensland Recycling and Waste Report, green bin lid services collected 143,751 tonnes of garden or food organic waste, 28,400 tonnes greater than the amount collected in 2022–23, undermining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve resource recovery. The state’s gaps in significantly increasing food waste recovery raise concerns about whether Queensland will achieve its long-term sustainability 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 is about more than 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 part 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.
Slow Council Participation
The Queensland Government has set ambitious targets, but many councils have been slow to commit. Factors such as Limited funding, lack of infrastructure, and logistical hurdles have resulted in minimal uptake of FOGO collection (source).
While the 11 out of 78 councils that provided a regular green waste (green bin lid) kerbside collection service is still small, the number of households receiving the service increased in 2024 — 113,400 households from 2022–23 to 526,941 households (source).
Green bin lid services also collected 143,751 tonnes of garden or food organic wastes, an increase of 28,400 tonnes from the amount collected in 2022–23. This is a 0.99% decrease per bin service and a 33.3% increase per capita from 2022–23 (source).
The success of FOGO services depends on adequate processing facilities to manage the influx of organic waste. Organic waste makes up around half of what is thrown away every week in the state’s kerbside waste (red lid) bins (source).
Currently, Queensland lacks the necessary large-scale composting infrastructure to support a statewide rollout. In 2024, data shows that the private sector handled almost half (48.3%) of Queensland’s total waste sent to landfill. However, some councils are considering new processing facilities, such as those in the City of Moreton Bay and Rockhampton Regional Council, but the timeline for their completion remains uncertain.
Many councils are hesitant to implement FOGO services due to financial considerations. Households in Queensland could see waste disposal fee increases of up to $86 per year by 2033 due to the phasing out of waste levy rebates, which have previously subsidised disposal costs (source). While FOGO services could ultimately reduce landfill expenses, the initial setup costs for collection programs and processing facilities pose significant challenges for many local governments.
Despite the challenges, some Queensland councils are taking proactive steps to introduce or expand FOGO services.
Moreton Bay Regional Council has launched a FOGO trial, transitioning from garden waste collection to a full-scale food and garden organics service. The program aims to increase the city’s recycling rate from 45% to over 60%, showing the potential success of FOGO when properly implemented.
Townsville has engaged in community consultations to explore the possibility of a FOGO rollout. The feedback shows strong public support , with 85% of the respondents support the Council in the 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.
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%.
For Queensland 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. The next few years will be crucial for meeting Queensland’s ambitious waste reduction targets, but with the right investments and continued commitment, a more sustainable future is within reach.
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