AORA November 2025 Newsletter

From the National Executive Officer

On Tuesday 18 November I had the opportunity to participate in the Gaia Envirotech FOGO 2027 Ready Open Day with thanks to Dr Elizabeth Lewis-Gray, Sandy Gray and Dr Sarah King.

The event consisted of a visit to the Creswick transfer station (outside of Ballarat) to see and hear an overview of their in-vessel rapid composting in situ (Creswick has two Gaia rapid composters). We were then treated to a tour of the Gaia manufacturing facility in Ballarat and presentations on the system.

The Gaia in-vessel rapid composting system is designed with simplicity of operation in mind to allow for minimum touch time, and remote monitoring and operation. The rapid composting system can be arranged to meet local space requirements and commissioned with minimal disruption to existing infrastructure and operations.

Developed specifically for on-site applications, the system is designed with the noise and odour expectations associated with residential settings in mind. The system is finding applications with smaller to midsize local councils and has already been employed by the Ararat Rural City Council and Hepburn Shire Council (both in Victoria).

The scalability of the system (being containerised) suits these size councils and the process operates on a 2-week in-vessel cycle, followed by a 6–8-week maturation period once the material is removed from the container.

What occured to me from this open day and often overlooked in discussions on organic composting, is scalability. Organics processing can occur in the backyard, on the farm, at a local council and on a large commercial scale – one size does not have to fit all and there are various options that can be considered depending on the site, level of investment, feedstocks and end-markets.

What also stood out to me from the Gaia system employed by local councils, the final compost product remains close to the feedstock stream and the compost is available to local markets (the council itself, the rate payers for their own gardens and to local farmers, for example). This is circularity at its best.

John McKew

National Executive Officer

Welcome Jacqui Payne

National Policy and Advocacy Officer

Jacqui has joined the AORA team this month as National Policy and Advocacy Officer, based in NSW. She brings more than 15 years of experience spanning consulting, policy and economic development and stakeholder engagement in the food, agriculture, logistics, and not-for-profit sectors.

She is looking forward to playing a role in advancing the needs of industry through her strong problem-solving skills and operational and systems thinking.

Jacqui will work actively with members across the country, the new State Committees and all state and territory government departments and agencies.

Jacqui can be contacted via [email protected]

Swanbank Public Health Inquiry Report

An independent inquiry into community health impacts from odours from the Swanbank and New Chum industrial areas (Ipswich, QLD) was released on 19th November.

The inquiry’s scope limited its analysis of all odour contributing industries in the area, although it did explicitly identify compost processing within it’s 8 recommendations.

AORA QLD has set up an AORA Briefing and Q&A session with the QLD Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) for Thursday 27th November. You must pre-register to attend this meeting.

Call for AORA Conference Proposals Open Now!

Join us at the AORA 2026 Annual Conference as we shine a spotlight on the essential role compost plays in regenerating Australia’s soils, closing the loop on organics, and securing a sustainable future for generations to come.

AORA invites researchers, processors, consultants, policymakers, educators, and innovators from across the Recycled Organics Industry to share their insights, innovations, research, and success stories. This is your opportunity to contribute to a national conversation on soil health, the circular economy and the organics recycling industry.

Through the theme “Compost for Life. Saving our Soils.”, the 2026 Conference will explore how organic recycling can strengthen Australia’s agricultural productivity, environmental performance, and resource resilience. Presentations will inspire practical solutions, foster collaboration, and showcase how compost delivers value from community-scale to commercial-scale applications.

Submissions close on Friday 19 December 2025.

Submit Proposals

TRS 550 Recycling Screen from Finlay Waste and Recycling

AORA Partner News

The TRS 550 is the ultimate screening machine for difficult applications. The robust 3 way split machine combined with the accuracy and efficiency of the Spaleck 3D Combi screen box allows operators to screen materials previously classed as too difficult to process.

Terex Ecotec’s tracked heavy duty screen can be operated in a wide range of primary and secondary screening applications. The TRS 550 Recycling Screen features a two-deck German-designed recycling waste screen with Flip-Flow-Screen technology. This high-performance waste screen is combined with advanced technology on the bottom deck to elevate the TRS 550 into a class of its own.

Applications that this recycling screen processes include municipal solid waste (MSW), construction and demolition material (C&D), incineration slag, light and heavy shredder fraction and metal recycling. Its processing capabilities and application flexibility make the machine the only all in one mobile solution for the processing and separation of recycling materials.

The TRS 550 is available to purchase now in Australia via Finlay Waste and Recycling. To learn how Finlay can support your waste and recycling needs call 1800 777 300 or email [email protected].

Of Interest

Update on Draft NSW Bisolids Resource Recover Order and Exemption (RROE)

A follow up meeting was held with the NSW EPA regarding our AORA October submission and their broader submission review process on the Draft NSW Biosolids Resource Recovery Order and Exemption (RROE).

Key next steps: NSW members have been asked to input into a biosolids contamination testing baseline and data availability request to support our feedback to EPA on testing requirements and contamination limits contained in the Draft RROE.

NSW EPA will provide a collated Submission Summary Report (approx. late December) and advised the Draft Biosolids RROE still needs further industry engagement following the feedback received on the Draft.

Full Set of AORA Fact Sheets Now Available

The full set of AORA Fact Sheets are now available;