More than 530 tonnes of food scraps from apartments, townhouses, resorts and retirement villages across South East Queensland will soon be transformed into valuable resources under a new pilot program led by the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and participating local councils.
The first sites to kick off the trial include an over 55s lifestyle resort on the Sunshine Coast, holiday accommodation at Noosa and three high-rise residential buildings on the Gold Coast, with Brisbane City Council pilots starting later this year.
Funded by the Queensland Government, the $4 million trial aims to reduce the volume of food waste sent to landfill from multi-unit buildings. It will test a range of recycling solutions suited to high-density living including dehydrators, processing food scraps through anaerobic digestion, and on-site composting.
Delivered over 2.5 years in partnership with four local councils and supported by researchers from Central Queensland University (CQU), the trial will identify practical food recovery solutions for residents and visitors. The findings have the potential to inform long-term waste reduction options for different types of residential buildings across SEQ.
South East Queensland’s population is projected to reach six million by 2046, when it will be home to 75 per cent of all Queenslanders and one in six Australians. With the state’s waste generation increasing at a faster rate than population growth, and organic waste making up over a third of domestic general waste, the need for action is clear.
When recovered, food waste can be turned into valuable resources including compost, biogas and electricity, rather than being sent to landfill where it takes up space and produces harmful greenhouse gases.
Six individual pilots make up the trial, covering a range of dwelling types – including the IRT The Palms Retirement Village in Buderim, Peppers in Noosa, private townhouse complexes and multi-storey buildings.
Together, they are expected to divert the equivalent of around 100 garbage trucks of food waste, transforming it into soil, mulch and renewable energy.
SEQ councils manage around 2.5 million tonnes of waste each year. Currently, only 35 per cent of everyday household and small business waste is recycled, with 65 per cent still going to landfill.
The pilot is a key action of the Council of Mayors (SEQ) – SEQ Waste Management Plan, which aims to divert more than 1 million tonnes of waste from landfill annually by 2030. It also supports the Queensland Government’s priorities around boosting recycling and reducing waste to landfill.
Council of Mayors (SEQ) Chair, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner:
“Households are paying more for waste due to the landfill levy introduced by the former State Government, which is why decisions about what goes into the household bin matter more than ever.
“This pilot takes a practical, real-world approach to explore what works, and what doesn’t, when it comes to improving food waste recycling for residents in high-rise buildings and visitors staying in hotels.
“We’re a growing population, and with multi-unit dwellings a popular choice for residents and visitors over the next 20 years, these initiatives will play a vital role in reducing landfill.”
Sunshine Coast Mayor, Rosanna Natoli:
“Reducing landfill is a priority for the Sunshine Coast, and this trial empowers our residents to be part of the solution. We’re committed to practical solutions to support a circular economy. Small changes at home can make a big impact in building a cleaner, more sustainable region.”
Noosa Mayor, Frank Wilkie:
“This trial will help ensure visitors not only experience the best Noosa has to offer but also reduce their impact through recycling. By diverting and treating food waste, we’re helping to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, preserve landfill and create a useful product to enrich gardens.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate:
“Recycling is key to ensuring we protect the environment and maximise our city’s waste transfer and recycling centres. The Gold Coast is delighted to partner with other SEQ councils on this initiative as we know that by collecting food organics from general waste, and re-purposing these scraps for compost and landscaping, the environment is the winner.
“This trial will help us collate data to see where, and how, this trial can be expanded in the years ahead.”
