Queensland falls behind on organic waste targets
A recent report has shown that the Queensland Organics Strategy 2022-2032 is not on track to meet its waste management goal.
The Queensland Audit Office (QAO) carried out the performance report, outlining weaknesses in the Organics Strategy and recommendations for correction.
Audits were carried out on the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Brisbane City Council, Council of the City of Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast Council.
The QAO chose these areas because they account for 70 per cent of the household waste sent to landfill.
Organic waste makes up 50 per cent of household rubbish in Queensland, which can contaminate waterways and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Limiting organic waste can help to preserve ecosystems, promote a sustainable economy and minimise the impact on public health.
The Organics Strategy sets three objectives to achieve by 2032. These include halving organic waste generated, diverting 80 per cent of organic material from landfill and achieving a 70 per cent organic recycling rate.
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Queensland’s Organics Strategy outlines roles and responsibilities for departments, councils, the waste and recycling industry, households and other stakeholders.
Complications and challenges
Now, three years into the Organics Strategy, this report has revealed Queensland is not on track to achieve these targets.
The department reports household waste diverted from landfill has only increased from 27 to 28 percent from 2022 to 2024. The goal was to divert 55 per cent of household waste by 2025.
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Several challenges have affected the strategy’s progress, including changes to compost requirements, council funding limits and a lack of infrastructure. The report shows that inadequate risk management practices and data collection limitations have also hindered progress.
The Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation reported in December 2024 that 24 of 29 strategy actions were on track to achieve their goals. The report found that nine of these actions fell behind schedule or faced a risk of being delayed.
The audit’s recommendations
The QAO’s report has made five recommendations for the department to focus on to get the Organics Strategy back on track.
These recommendations include assessing the achievability of the strategy, funding improvement for infrastructure and end enhancing monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
QAO also recommends strengthening risk management practices by regularly identifying risks to the strategy and implementing effective mitigation controls.
The last recommendation is to clarify management plans for PFAs in compost by clearly communicating with councils and monitoring the risks of PFAs in organic waste.
Scientists refer to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as ‘forever chemicals’ because they take years to break down in the environment. PFAS can contaminate organic waste used to produce compost.
Actions that have been achieved by the department include increasing green lid bin services for residents by 55 percent. It also introduced community-focused initiatives to reduce organic food waste and delivering educational programs.
Since 2021, the Queensland Government has committed $2.1 billion to improve waste management and achieve the strategy’s targets.
