PROGRESS REPORT
End-of-Life
As industry leaders, we take responsibility for the end-of-life of our products. Founded by BioPak in 2021, Compost Connect is a dedicated not-for-profit platform focused on composting education, increasing composting rates, and connecting foodservice businesses with commercial composting services.
This year, we launched a refreshed website filled with valuable new information and resources, making it easier than ever to compost at home and commercially and support sustainable practices. We also updated the Australian Councils Composting page, helping people navigate which councils have FOGO, GO or FO services and whether they accept compostable packaging.
We hosted the inspiring zero-waste cooking event ‘Cooking for Change’ in Brisbane, in partnership with OzHarvest and Alastair McLeod. This event brought the community together for positive change.
In May, we launched our first piece of research highlighting the success of South Australia’s composting industry, disposing of food waste and compostable packaging via council-provided kerbside FOGO bins. A viable and effective waste management solution.
Another study released in October delved into Australians' attitudes and behaviours toward compostable packaging and composting. Building on these insights, we launched the "Compost for Climate" educational campaign to spark action and introduced a petition urging councils to champion composting as a key strategy to combat climate change.
We also created a Compost Research Page on Compost Connect, consolidating relevant studies into five key categories: the state of composting and composting infrastructure, environmental benefits of composting, economic benefits of composting, composting and consumer behaviour, and compostable packaging. By measuring and collecting data, we hope to build a solid collection of research-based models and lessons to allow us to advocate for wider availability of composting infrastructure for compostable packaging and food waste.
We’re proud of this year's achievements in promoting composting and sustainable practices through Compost Connect. We’re committed to continuing to grow education, collaboration, and research, as we believe in the importance of responsible waste management and accountability for the end-of-life of our products. We invite you to join us in this journey, whether that’s by engaging with our resources, participating in community events, or advocating for composting initiatives within your local councils.
Richard Fine
Founder
Compost Connect Objectives
All Compostable Packaging & Food Waste in One Bin
Save on General
Waste Costs
Divert Food Waste From Landfill
Reduce Greenhouse Gases & Help Fight Climate Change
Increase Customer Loyalty
Tackling Food Waste, One Compost Bin at a Time
GOAL 1:
Increase Composting Rates
Reduce landfill waste by boosting home composting and commercial organics collection in the foodservice sector and beyond, leading to higher composting rates and a substantial decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.
GOAL 2:
Deliver Composting Education
Educate about the impact of food waste and compostable packaging in landfill and the benefits of composting. Expand the compostable packaging market by educating consumers and businesses about its benefits, certifications, and correct disposal to reduce contamination in composting facilities—ultimately motivating more composters to accept certified compostable packaging.
GOAL 3:
Collaborate with Packaging
and Recovery Sectors
Strengthen collaboration between the packaging industry, policy, and recovery sectors to prioritise composting in government agendas and business practices—expanding infrastructure and building a sustainable organics recovery ecosystem.
Compost Connect in 2024: A Snapshot
Compost Connect services over 2,700 postcodes across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
26
compost partners across Australia, New Zealand and the UK
2
new research papers
Compost Connect Redesigned
a new website offering more educational resources
Australian Councils Composting
page updated based on 2023/24 survey
Compost for Climate
educational campaign and petition
New
dedicated compost research library
New Research Highlights The Success Of South Australia’s Composting Industry
South Australia is celebrated as a leader in composting. From Rundle Mall’s green bin trial to council bins that accept compostable packaging, South Australia is proving that sustainable waste management practices are viable and essential.
Despite these impressive efforts, very limited research has been done on the impact of compostable packaging on improving the diversion of food waste and packaging waste from landfill—until now. By partnering with Edge Impact and BioPak, Compost Connect set out to better understand the role compostable packaging plays in organic waste recovery. And the results are promising.
The research found the capacity of the organic recovery system in South Australia can be increased, and that certified compostable packaging has had no documented negative effects on the quality of the end product.
New Research: Success of South Australia's Composting Industry >
New Research Into Australian Composting Behaviours
New research explored the attitudes, behaviours and opinions towards compostable packaging and composting. Here are the key insights:
70% of Australians place high importance on disposing of items in the correct council provided bin.
One third of Australians claim to undertake composting (majority backyard) and over half of Australians express interest in home composting in the future.
Almost half of Australians (45%) believe that cost-of-living does not impact their ability to prioritise recycling or composting.
Only 1 in 5 Australians believe their council makes composting easy for them.
Only 1 in 10 Australians were able to recognise the industrially compostable and home compostable logos – few people understood the true meaning of the logos.
70% of respondents state they will now look for these compostable logos on the packaging of everyday items.
It’s clear: Australians’ desire to compost is strong, but many feel unsupported by their local councils. Only 20% of respondents said their council makes composting easy, highlighting the need for clearer guidance and infrastructure. Another barrier identified was the lack of recognition of compostable and recycling logos. Only 1 in 10 Australians can accurately identify universal compostable logos, and 43% recognise the ARL recycling logos. Australians are looking for practical visual cues and more accessible educational resources to help them make informed choices. 41% of Australians believe brands should add more disposal information on their packaging alongside the logos. They would also welcome more comprehensive disposal stickers on bins (52%), informational brochures (42%), and one-on-one sessions from councils (18%) to help them understand how to compost correctly.
The good news, 70% of the research respondents said they will now actively look for compostable logos when choosing products highlighting the growing awareness and demand for compostable packaging. With millions of tonnes of non-compostable single-use foodservice packaging ending up in landfills and the environment each year, transitioning to compostable alternatives is crucial in reducing waste and closing the loop on packaging disposal.
Compost Connect emphasises the importance of a united approach to address the challenges of waste disposal in Australia. Many citizens and businesses are eager to do the right thing, but significant roadblocks exist, particularly concerning government regulations. A holistic approach to waste disposal is essential at the federal level, as states like South Australia lead the way by showcasing how effective compostable packaging can be when the necessary infrastructure is in place.
Compost for Climate
This new research led to the launch of our new campaign, “Compost for Climate,” which aims to drive change, awareness and real action.
Educate about composting solutions at home
Lift residential and business composting rates
Create awareness and understanding of the home and industrially compostable logos
Petition councils to roll out FOGO, accept compostable packaging, invest in composting infrastructure and provide better disposal information
The campaign educates and shares a range of resources to help individuals make informed decisions that put the planet first. From learning about the benefits of composting and different home compost methods, to understanding the compostable logos and correct disposal of certified compostable packaging, we help Australians champion composting and manage their waste at home.
Composting presents a big opportunity for businesses to make a positive difference and work toward their ESG goals. Through Compost Connect, businesses can source compostable packaging, find out if a local composter is available in their area, sign up for a regular bin collection, and start composting their food and compostable packaging waste.
Finally, the campaign encourages Australians to sign a petition urging councils to champion composting, provide better access to composting information, invest more in composting infrastructure, and take other initiatives to encourage composting. While 248 out of 562 Australian councils collect and compost residential organic waste, only 43 accept compostable packaging in their residential compost collections. Unfortunately, 313 councils don’t provide organic bins to their residents. The petition results will be submitted to local councils in 2025.
Composting Success Stories
Here are three examples from various industries demonstrating how Compost Connect transforms waste into nutrient-rich compost.
Toast Martinborough: The Journey Toward a Zero Waste Food and Wine Event
This wine, food and music festival is a 1-day event held at 8 different sites with 4,890 visitors. By partnering with Nonstop Solutions, BioPak, and Compost Connect, the 2023 Toast Martinborough festival achieved a 97% resource recovery rate.
Cooking for Change with OzHarvest: The Circular Economy in Action
Hosted by BioPak, OzHarvest and one of Australia’s most loved chefs, Alastair McLeod, the Cooking for Change event shone a light on a range of initiatives that are changing the way restaurants and businesses tackle food waste. The meals created on the day were distributed to charities around Brisbane to feed those in need.
RAC Arena: Showcasing Sustainability
RAC Arena is on track to become one of the most sustainable entertainment venues in Australia, taking giant strides toward a landfill diversion rate of 70%. By partnering with BioPak, Compost Connect and WRITE Solutions, RAC Arena has diverted almost 38 tonnes of organics and compostable packaging from landfill.
Advancing UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by Taking Responsibility for Product Disposal and End-Of-Life
Our Progress
COMPLETE
Increase research funding
BioPak and Compost Connect commissioned two research projects in 2024.
Firstly, we released Compostable Packaging Research in South Australia in May 2024. The study found that composting food waste and compostable packaging via council provided kerbside FOGO bins is a viable and effective waste management solution.
South Australia Research Summary >
The second piece of research, “Composting Behaviours: Australian Consumer Insights” was released in October 2024. This study explored the attitudes, behaviours and opinions towards compostable packaging and composting.
Composting Behaviours: Australian Consumer Insights >
We also created a dedicated page on Compost Connect that consolidates all relevant research about the state of composting and composting infrastructure, environmental benefits of composting, economic benefits of composting, composting & consumer behaviour, and compostable packaging.
By measuring and collecting data, we hope to build a solid collection of research-based models and lessons learnt that will allow us to advocate for wider availability of composting for compostable packaging and food waste.
ON TRACK
Add more composters to Compost Connect
Increase adoption and recovery of compostable packaging
Expand Compost Connect industry members
Advocate for more councils in Australia to accept certified compostable packaging in the green FOGO bin
The Australian Federal Government is committed to a National Waste Strategy, aiming to halve food waste by 2030. To achieve this target, the Federal Government is committed to support the provision to all households and businesses with a compost bin for food and garden waste (FOGO) by 2030. This will have a big impact on composting infrastructure, help build the Compost Connect network, and educate people and businesses about composting.
BioPak and Compost Connect released new data detailing the type of residential composting offered across Australia (FO, GO, FOGO) – see Compost Connect.
In October 2024, we launched a petition as part of the Compost for Climate campaign. In this petition we’re calling for better access to composting information, more investment in composting infrastructure, and initiatives to encourage composting across Australia. We encourage Australians to urge their councils to champion composting and help combat climate change. This petition will be submitted to councils by Compost Connect in 2025.
Educate consumers on compost certification
We work closely with industry advocacy groups, like the Australian Bioplastics Association (ABA) and Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA) in the UK, to ensure compost certifications are integrated into legislative frameworks and incorporated into industry standards and consumer-focused campaigns.
Both BioPak and Compost Connect have extensive educational resources about understanding composting, compost certification and correct disposal that are regularly shared with both our customers and the public.
Off the back of the ‘Composting Behaviours: Australian Consumer Insights’ research, we launched the Compost for Climate educational campaign in October 2024 that will run through the beginning of 2025. The objectives are to educate about composting solutions at home, lift residential and business composting rates, and create awareness and understanding of home and industrially compostable logos.
A multifaceted approach encompassing legislation, clearly labeled products with compostable certification logos, and targeted education drives broader public awareness of the benefits of composting and certified compostable packaging.
DELAYED
Overcome composting roadblocks in NSW and across Australia
In July 2022, the New South Wales EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in Australia announced that certified compostable packaging isn’t accepted in residential organic waste bins. We’re currently working with the EPA to obtain a Specific Resource Recovery Order and Exemption (RROE) that will allow BioPak’s certified compostable packaging to be composted via FOGO household bins – this is in addition to our existing Australian Compost Certifications AS5810 (home) and/or AS4736 (industrial). This process has been delayed but we're expecting a resolution in 2025.
Industrial composting services for residential organic waste are becoming increasingly available in Australia. Right now, there are:
- 164 councils with FOGO.
- 83 councils with GO.
- 1 council with FO.
- 313 councils don’t provide organic bins to their residents.
Unfortunately, only 43 councils with FOGO accept compostable packaging in their residential compost collections, the majority are in South Australia with a handful of councils in Tasmania and Western Australia.
Australian Councils Composting >
Compostable packaging is currently accepted by some composters in QLD, TAS, SA and WA through private commercial composting collections. We encourage our clients to work with these composters to manage their food and packaging waste.
We will continue to operate with transparency with all regulators, industry bodies, councils and businesses to help find a solution that supports a circular economy.
Launch Compost Connect in Singapore and Hong Kong
The launch of Compost Connect in Singapore and Hong Kong has been delayed due to business priorities.
The launch of Compost Connect Hong Kong is scheduled for early 2025, in collaboration with a local composting partner, in anticipation of Hong Kong’s second phase of single-use plastic bans rollout.
Work continues in Singapore to secure a partnership with a composting facility to provide a local solution and launch Compost Connect as soon as feasible.
Our team is continuously exploring solutions and partnerships to help facilitate more widespread composting in all our territories.
Emissions Reduction
