SOUTH East Queensland’s bins are about to get a second life, with a $54 million investment set to turbocharge the region’s ability to turn food scraps and garden clippings into compost, mulch and other soil-saving products instead of burying them in landfill.
The funding, delivered through a partnership between the Federal, State and local governments under the South East Queensland City Deal, will go towards building new organics facilities and upgrading existing ones so councils can handle far more green and food waste locally.
In plain terms: the banana peels, coffee grounds and lawn clippings that once headed straight to landfill are being lined up for a makeover.
The program is expected to ease pressure on overflowing landfill sites while creating new jobs in recycling, waste processing and resource recovery – essentially turning rubbish into a regional industry.
The South East Queensland City Deal Organics Processing Program will roll out funding through two streams: smaller projects of up to $3 million, and larger infrastructure builds above that mark for councils ready to scale up.
Behind the scenes, the initiative sits under the South East Queensland City Deal, a long-term collaboration between the Australian Government, the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and the Queensland Government aimed at improving infrastructure, liveability and sustainability across one of the country’s fastest-growing regions.
