Sydney is projected to run out of inert landfill by 2028, making it important to reduce the waste we generate. At Ku-ring-gai, 61% of our waste is diverted from landfill and the EPA has set an 80% target for all councils by 2030.
One third of our red bin (by weight) is comprised of food scraps, and our current landfill captures the methane emissions to generate electricity. However, the EPA has mandated all councils to separately collect food organics collections by 2030.
Last term, we trialled separated food-waste collection at 2,400 households and found high contamination rates in food-only bins, as well as issues with funky smells and confusion between red bins and the State- mandated maroon bins. Further education will be required in supporting the rollout of food-only bins.
There has been considerable interest in soft plastics recycling and Ku-ring-gai is currently undergoing trials, however it comes at considerable cost and with a limited waste levy, solving food organics must take priority.
