Pilot program reduces food waste in SEQ

More than 530 tonnes of food scraps from apartments, townhouses, resorts and retirement villages across South East Queensland will be transformed into valuable resources under a new pilot program led by the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and participating local councils.

Funded by the Queensland Government and supported by researchers from Central Queensland University (CQU), the $4 million trial aims to reduce the volume of food waste sent to landfill from multi-unit buildings. It will test a range of recycling solutions suited to high-density living including dehydrators, processing food scraps through anaerobic digestion, and onsite composting.

The first sites to start the trial include an over-55s lifestyle resort on the Sunshine Coast, holiday accommodation at Noosa and three high-rise residential buildings on the Gold Coast, with Brisbane City Council pilots starting later in 2026. The trial’s findings have the potential to inform long-term waste reduction options for different types of residential buildings across SEQ.

“This pilot takes a practical, real-world approach to explore what works, and what doesn’t, when it comes to improving food waste recycling for residents in high-rise buildings and visitors staying in hotels,” said the Council of Mayors (SEQ) Chair, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.

“We’re a growing population, and with multi-unit dwellings a popular choice for residents and visitors over the next 20 years, these initiatives will play a vital role in reducing landfill.”

Six individual pilots make up the trial, covering a range of dwelling types — including IRT The Palms Retirement Village in Buderim, Peppers in Noosa, private townhouse complexes and multistorey buildings. Together they are expected to divert the equivalent of around 100 garbage trucks of food waste, transforming it into soil, mulch and renewable energy.

“Recycling is key to ensuring we protect the environment and maximise our city’s waste transfer and recycling centres,” said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. “The Gold Coast is delighted to partner with other SEQ councils on this initiative as we know that by collecting food organics from general waste, and repurposing these scraps for compost and landscaping, the environment is the winner.

“This trial will help us collate data to see where, and how, this trial can be expanded in the years ahead.’’

The pilot is a key action of the Council of Mayors (SEQ) – SEQ Waste Management Plan, which aims to divert more than one million tonnes of waste from landfill annually by 2030.

Image caption: Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli, Minister Andrew Powell and resident Phillipa Wilson. Image: Supplied