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There are so many reasons to love composting. It’s turning what would otherwise be waste into a nutrient-rich, plant-loving resource.
By composting (both at home and on an industrial scale) we can promote healthy soil and plants, conserve water, prevent soil erosion, and reduce carbon emissions associated with sending organic waste to landfills.
Excitingly, the Federal Government recognises the value of composting, too. They’ve set a National Waste Policy Action Plan to halve food waste by 2030, as well as have FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) collection available to Metropolitan households and businesses by 2030. While this all sounds promising in theory (and it’s a great starting point), it’s important to recognise that this strategy is only guidance, not a mandate. So we’re seeing states, territories and local governments develop their own approach to organics collection programs.
In addition, the Federal Government has acknowledged gaps in current packaging regulations and proposed new strategies to address single-use packaging waste. This regulatory reform is vital for achieving Australia’s waste reduction goals and supporting its commitment to a circular economy. While Australian organisations currently follow voluntary sustainability guidelines managed by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), the voluntary approach has not yielded the expected reduction in waste. As a result, DCCEEW has introduced a new proposal in 2024 looking at 3 options: industry-led, co-regulatory, and extended producer responsibility (EPR) models to strengthen Australia’s transition to a more effective and sustainable packaging industry.
Let’s take a closer look at the composting and compostable packaging strategies – state by state – to see how each government is responding to the National Waste Strategy target.
New South Wales is mandating Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection for all NSW households from 2030 and food waste collections for select businesses from 2025 (source).
Between 2012 and 2022, NSW launched Waste Less, Recycle More, an initiative funding waste reduction projects to reduce overall waste. The initiative includes an Organics Infrastructure Grant Program to make it easier for households and businesses to do the right thing with their organic waste. The program provided $57 million over 9 years to fund FOGO infrastructure and equipment for the public sector, businesses, community groups, NFP and NGOs.
The current challenge with NSW FOGO collection: In July 2022, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) released a Position Statement on acceptable inputs for FOGO bins, and unfortunately, compostable packaging did not fall into these acceptable inputs due to concerns over PFAS contamination (source). Some sustainable packaging companies are moving quickly to completely phase out PFAS.
The Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA) commissioned an in-depth study, A Review of the Benefits and Risks of Including Certified Compostable Packaging in Organic Food Recovery Systems. Conducted by Bill Grant, Research Fellow at Federation University’s Future Regions Research Centre, the study critically examines and refutes the NSW EPA’s analysis and claims regarding compostable plastics and packaging, which led to their ban from FOGO.
South Australia’s Food Waste Strategy 2020-2025 is designed to reduce food waste through a range of initiatives that focus on prevention, recovery, and recycling. The strategy emphasises preventing food waste at the source, helping businesses and individuals reduce waste through awareness and the use of practical tools. Key actions include supporting food redistribution to help those in need and promoting improved food waste management practices across sectors, particularly within the food service industry. The strategy aims to reduce food waste by half by 2030, aligning with national and global sustainability efforts.
A key component of the strategy is improving food waste recycling, including the use of composting for organic waste. South Australia advocates for better recycling systems and encourages the use of compostable packaging in food service and retail. Compostable packaging plays a crucial role in diverting food waste from landfills, contributing to a more sustainable waste management system and supporting the state’s broader environmental goals.
The City of Adelaide provides a shining example of widespread composting initiatives and environmental change. For example, Rundle Mall was the first retail precinct to trial a new multi-bin system, in collaboration with Green Industries SA and the City Council of Adelaide.
Victoria’s circular economy plan states that all Victorian households will get access to four core standardised waste and recycling services with colour-coded bin lids. Victorian householders currently send 4 million tonnes of material to landfill each year. This new system will significantly reduce this unsustainable amount of waste.
The transition to this system has already begun, with a mandatory rollout of FOGO bins by 2026 – 2027, with the aim for all Victorians to have access to a bin or local composting by 2030. As of February 2024, 31 councils have introduced the new separate glass recycling services and 53 councils have adopted a kerbside FOGO service – ahead of schedule to have all 79 councils onboard by 2030.
These reforms are about ensuring Victoria meets their goal of diverting 80% of all material away from landfill by 2030 – while creating nearly 4,000 new jobs and boosting the state’s economy by up to $6.7 billion.
However, aside from compostable caddy liners, compostable packaging is currently not accepted in FOGO due to capacity constraints. As the state expands its organic waste collection services, composting facilities are struggling to manage the increasing volume of green and food waste, leading them to exclude compostable packaging from processing. Even more concerning, the Victorian government is considering an official ban on compostable liners in food waste bins as part of a major policy shift. We see this as a step backward, especially given South Australia’s success in demonstrating that compostable packaging and caddy liners pose minimal risk to both composting facilities and the quality of the final compost.
WA’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Strategy aims to increase material recovery to 75% by 2025. From this target, all local governments in the Perth and Peel regions will have a consistent three-bin kerbside collection system, including the separation of FOGO from other waste categories. The State Government will help fund FOGO services to make it a cost-competitive option for local governments.
The State Government is supporting the FOGO rollout in three key areas:
Tasmania is one step ahead. In November 2019, all green waste bins in Hobart City switched to FOGO bins, which means all residents and businesses have access to FOGO collection services.
In October 2023, the government released its first-ever legislated waste strategy, the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2023-2026. It outlines the state’s approach to waste management and resource recovery placing a strong focus on FOGO as a key driver in reducing landfill waste and building a circular economy. By investing in infrastructure, optimising collection services, and educating the community, Tasmania is working towards its vision of becoming a place where nothing is wasted.
As of mid-2024, a $32 million organic waste processing plant (jointly funded by the state and federal governments, along with local councils) has opened in Tasmania’s north-west (source). Households in the Devonport, Waratah-Wynyard, Latrobe, and Kentish council areas now have access to a fortnightly FOGO service, joining Central Coast in diverting food and garden waste from landfill. Meanwhile, Burnie City and Circular Head councils are expected to introduce similar services in the future.
From August 2021 to September 2022, over 3000 households across Townsville, Rockhampton, and Lockyer Valley participated in a FOGO kerbside collection trial. The trials diverted hundreds of tonnes of organic waste from landfills, and these results were used as evidence to support the wider implementation of FOGO collection throughout Queensland.
In 2022, the Queensland government set an ambitious target to provide organic waste collection services to 65% of households by 2025. And in 2023, the Palaszczuk Government announced it would invest $151 million to help Queensland households better dispose of organic waste.
However, as of early 2025, only 11 out of 78 councils offer green bins for garden waste, and none have implemented FOGO services that include food waste. This shortfall indicates that Queensland is unlikely to meet its 2025 goal.
In 2021, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government launched a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection pilot, initially serving over 5,000 households in Belconnen, Bruce, Cook, and Macquarie. The program has since expanded to include more than 1,100 additional units in Belconnen and Tuggeranong, marking a significant step toward a broader rollout.
Additionally, the ACT Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan outlines plans for a large-scale FOGO processing facility in Canberra. Planning and environmental approvals are progressing, with the ACT Government set to begin a two-stage procurement process in early 2025.
However, despite these expansions, the full territory-wide rollout has faced setbacks. Originally scheduled for 2026, the implementation has been delayed due to the prioritisation of rebuilding Canberra’s main recycling centre, which was destroyed in a fire on Boxing Day 2022. Nevertheless, the ACT Government remains committed to delivering FOGO services across the region, recognising their role in reducing landfill waste, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting a circular economy.
The Northern Territory has released a Circular Economy Strategy 2022 – 2027 which aims to reduce, reuse and recycle waste into a valuable resource. However, the strategy has not provided specific details on the use of FOGO collection services to tackle the waste problem.
The city of Darwin has a 2030 Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy. Over the next 10 years, the strategy aims to reduce kerbside waste going to landfills by 50% and establish a composting facility for processing food, garden organics and timber.
In January 2025, Veolia, in partnership with the Department of Defence and Indigenous entrepreneur William ‘Billy’ Feeney, launched EcoMob, Darwin’s first commercial food organics recovery facility. This initiative processes food waste from local military bases and regional businesses into high-quality compost, contributing to the Northern Territory’s circular economy. The project aligns with the Department of Defence’s commitment to halving its food waste sent to landfill by 2030.
For composting to become widespread on a national scale, we need government action at every level. Several local councils across Australia have taken matters into their own hands and begun or partnered with local composting initiatives.
A number of councils across Australia have partnered with Compost Revolution – a multi-award-winning program that educates and provides equipment to residents who want to reduce their organic waste through home composting and worm farming. Councils that partner with Compost Revolution may receive subsidies on worm farms, bokashi bins and compost bins. Learn more about participating councils here.
In collaboration with Green Industries SA and the City Council of Adelaide, Rundle Mall in Adelaide’s CBD trialled a new multi-bin system, with separate bins for food waste and compostable packaging, cans and bottles and general waste.
Interested in starting your own home compost bin? Great! There are a number of councils that provide free composting workshops. Check with your local council to see if this is something they offer.
Right now, there’s currently no national mandate to implement Food and Organic Waste Collection (FOGO) across Australia.
As you can see, many states and local governments are championing the composting movement, however, it’s clear we need to move at a faster pace. Only 44% of Australian councils offer a FOGO collection.
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