The Australian Organics Recycling Industry (AORA) is currently reviewing its position paper on Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO). This review has been undertaken to ensure the Australian organics recycling industry has a clear guidance framework for the key issues and considerations for recycled organics throughout the transition from household Garden Organics (GO) collections to the mandated FOGO collections, and the delivery of Food Organics (FO) and FOGO collections for businesses by 2030 (as per the National Waste Policy Action Plan 2019 – updated 2022 – Action 6.04).
The AORA FOGO Position Paper works in concert with AORA’s national strategy roadmap, Vision 2031: The 10 Year Roadmap for Australia’s World Leading Organics Recycling Industry, which states:
Amongst those ambitious objectives is a national target of less than 5 per cent of organic waste to landfill by 2031. This document also addresses the greatest industry challenge, which is contamination of the feedstock. AORA supports a greater state and national focus on systemic and behavioural improvements to achieve better source separation. We support national bans on all non-compostable, single-use plastics and persistent chemicals – the sooner the better. Above all, this industry vision calls for genuinely integrated decision making by all governments, reflecting the needs of a production cycle in a circular economy, and with greater long-term certainty around supply, operations, and demand.
The current state government consultations on FOGO, especially in NSW and VIC, have also provided impetus for this review and offers the opportunity to pursue improved harmonisation across states as the transition to FOGO accelerates, something for which AORA consistently advocates.
Read more: AORA updates position paper
Of recent concern to AORA has been the Recycling Victoria Household Waste and Recycling Draft Service Standard 2024, which states compostable plastic caddy liners, including caddy liners certified to AS 4736 and AS 5810, will not be acceptable in the household standard contents list for a FOGO service (unlike the NSW position that allows for certified compostable caddy liners within a FOGO service).
AORA supports the use of certified compostable caddy liners as part of the transition to food organics (FO) within a FOGO stream. Certified compostable bin liners offer an effective solution for households and commercial entities to manage food waste efficiently. These liners make it easier for consumers to collect and transport food scraps, increasing participation rates in organics recycling programs. Furthermore, they help maintain cleanliness and hygiene, reducing barriers to participation in these programs.
AORA advocates for the inclusion of these type of liners in all FOGO introductions (as applicable). Additionally, AORA believes that making the liners available free-of-charge to households via their local council as part of their transition to FOGO further enhances participation within the FOGO service. It also works to reduce the use of non-certified caddy liners, which if not certified compostable, are another source of unwanted contamination within the FOGO stream. It is generally accepted that the cost to councils of providing certified compostable caddy liners free-of-charge to households is offset by the reduction in landfill charges through the diversion of FOGO.
The recycled organics industry is committed to generating high-quality compost outputs that promote the protection of the environment and human health, specifically through the diversion of organic material from landfill. The success of household and business FOGO mandates and the circular economy relies on materials being accepted in the dedicated FO or FOGO stream, being not only theoretically compostable, but responsibly compostable within existing operations.
The revised AORA FOGO Position Paper will be available is available on the AORA website (www.aora.org.au).
John McKew is the National EO for AORA