From the National Executive Officer

On behalf of the AORA Board and team, a sincere thank you to all of our sponsors, members and stakeholders who attended the 2026 AORA Annual Conference in Melbourne in late April.

We acknowledge and appreciate the significant investment of time and money required to attend our conference and we work diligently to provide a return to you on that investment.

The feedback has been very positive and gratifying. We hope that from your attendance you acquired new knowledge/insights, made new connections or perhaps made a sale or two.

From my perspective, I was very pleased with the conference’s overall smooth operation; everything worked as and when it should. It was great to see so many of the attendees in the exhibition area before, during and after the conference session.   

The program provided a suite of presenters that were first-class, thought-provoking, credible and original. A highlight for me from every AORA Annual Conference, including this one is the demonstrable interaction, connections and conversations occurring among delegates. If collaboration and communication are the foundation of problem solving and success, we are certainly on the right path.

We will commence planning for the 2027 AORA Annual Conference soon, which will be held in Queensland. As always, we welcome all feedback on our Annual Conference so I encourage you to complete the post-event survey, if you haven’t alread done so, or send your thoughts directly through to us.  

The photos are available via the Paul Benjamin Photography website, please ensure you credit them if using.  

John McKew 

National Executive Officer

Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us

The International Compost Alliance (ICA) on 28 April 2026 launched a global call to action for International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) 2026, urging governments, industry, educators and households to recognize and prioritise compost as a strategic resource for soil health, food production and climate resilience.

Running May 3–9, this year’s theme is “Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us,” which highlights compost’s role in returning valuable organic matter and essential nutrients to soils and, in turn, people, strengthening the natural systems that underpin food production.

The campaign comes at a time of growing pressure on agricultural and land management systems, including rising concern over the cost and availability of mineral fertilisers. Against that backdrop, the ICA said compost should be viewed as more than a valuable waste diversion solution, but, as an increasingly fundamental source of nutrients and carbon for soils.

“Compost is often discussed in terms of diverting waste, but a more important value is in what it gives back,” said John McKew, National Executive Officer, Australian Organics Recycling Association, speaking on behalf of the International Compost Alliance. “It contains valuable nutrients, supports soil biology, improves soil structure and water retention, and helps reduce reliance on the increasingly volatile economics of external inputs such as mineral fertilisers.”

Industry unites to drive innovation and strengthen soil resilience amid global supply disruptions

The Australian organics recycling industry came together at the AORA Conference to share ideas, challenge the status quo, foster innovation, and celebrate the sector’s achievements. The event highlighted the industry’s growing role in supporting national environmental targets while advancing technology, community engagement, and policy development.

Valued at over $2.6 billion annually, Australia’s organics recycling industry plays a vital role in replenishing baseline soil fertility. Healthy soils underpin national food security, farm productivity, and agricultural resilience. However, ongoing global disruptions, including geopolitical instability and supply chain constraints, have exposed Australia’s reliance on imported fertilizers and fuel to sustain agricultural production.

Amid these challenges, the sector is calling attention to a reliable, domestic solution that remains underutilised: high-quality compost and soil amendment products derived from organic resources.

A key theme of the conference, “Compost for life. Saving our soils.,” reflects the industry’s commitment to restoring soil health. Beyond this message, the conference reinforced that organics recycling is a mature, trusted, and regionally embedded industry, ready to support Australian agriculture at scale.

Russell Brown, farmer, and agronomist was the AORA annual conference domestic keynote speaker, noted “It requires a shift in mindset for both farmers and agronomists. Instead of starting each season by calculating crop nutrient budgets alone, the process begins with understanding the soil health baseline. From there, the focus moves to investing in soil fertility through compost and targeted amendments, before layering in crop nutrient requirements. The result is a system built on a healthier, more resilient, and inherently fertile foundation. The current geopolitical and supply chain disruption affecting farmers daily decisions at present might just be the needed catalyst to make this domestically available and regionally available organic soil health industry become mainstream and an enduring part of our agricultural ecosystem. It’s really exciting and the potential benefits are undeniable.”

Policy Updates and Information

QLD DETSI Waste and Resource Recovery Sector Regulator Roadshow

Kali Martin, Peter Thompson and Jacqui Payne attended on behalf of AORA.

This event provided a valuable two-way forum for industry representatives to engage with senior members of DETSI.

• This was a well delivered “get to know you session”. With leadership from each relevant area of DETSI presenting on their area of accountability and their immediate priorities.
• Expected to be launched very soon from DETSI is the:
• QLD Waste levy review
• QLD Waste Strategy
• QLD Infrastructure Plan

There is a strong appetite to engage with the waste and resource recovery industry and support targeted, constructive regulation improvements to help DETSI achieve the Government’s agenda and deliver efficiency improvements. 

Follow on question for our QLD members:

• What is your #1 and #2 biggest impact regulation change or modernisation need that will help your business? 

Local Government Engagement

We’ve had an initial introduction meeting with the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).

This meeting has opened the lines of communication and confirmed mutual interest to work together on aligned policy, advocacy and engagement with ALGA, and their state and local government members on all things relating to organics recycling.

• Engagement with their state waste policy officer group will be one of the first engagements to be scheduled.

Follow on question for our Local Government members:

• Where do you see greatest value and impact from AORA and ALGA (and State Government Associations) working together to strengthen your organics recycling capability, knowledge and support?
• We encourage Local Councils that would like to be involved in future opportunities to profile or showcase your organics recycling approach to other Local Governments to contact us. 

Biosolids & PFAS Limits

We have now had our first detailed discussion with the NSW EPA on the specific areas of the stakeholder feedback that are being considered in the Biosolids direct to land Resource Recovery Order and Exemption (Biosolids RROE) update.

• The NSW AORA Interested Members Group will be reassembled via a virtual meeting to review and discuss feedback and next steps as we work through this consultation process with the NSW EPA.

FOGO Position Paper

AORA Processing Members have been contacted seeking voluntary input into a series of processing member workshops to inform and progress the updated AORA FOGO Position Paper.

• This request has gone to all current AORA processing member Administrator contacts.

This position paper is intended to be a widely used and referenced industry position and source of information on issues and opportunities currently facing FOGO services and processing.

Plastic Produce Sticker bans

South Australia continues to lead in their advocacy for single-use and problematic plastic bans, including plastic produce stickers.

They remain committed to phasing out non-compostable plastic produce stickers. Green Industries SA (GISA) has recently published two research projects to further inform these bans:

• Plastic Produce Sticker Impacts on Compost
• Industry and consumer attitudes towards produce stickers – Findings report.

Upcoming advocacy engagement opportunities

Our upcoming AORA team advocacy engagements include:

May:

• QLD Swanbank Region Development Application improvement workshop.
• Organics Interjurisdictional (EPA) meeting – AORA presentation on alignment of organics recycling to national and state targets.
• Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) – state waste/resource recovery policy officers meeting.

If you have feedback or responses to any of these advocacy or policy points, please respond to Jacqui at: policy@aora.org.au)

Save the Dates – State Events

Wednesday 24 June

Sydney Breakfast Event 

Friday 26 June

Brisbane Breakfast Event 

More information and tickets coming soon! 

National industry-led battery behaviour change campaign

ACOR with the support of AORA (and other peak bodies across the waste and recycling sectors) is collaborating on a national industry-led battery behaviour change campaign. As we all know, battery-related fires are now a daily reality across waste and recycling operations, putting workers, infrastructure and services at risk. The campaign aims to shift that risk at its source by changing behaviour at scale.

What sets this apart is a coordinated national approach, built by industry, with the reach and consistency needed to cut through and drive real behaviour change. It presents a clear opportunity to shift social norms, reduce growing safety risks, and demonstrate industry leadership.

ACOR and AORA are now inviting organic recycling processor organisations (and others within or connected to our industry) to get involved.

This is a genuinely collective effort. The campaign will only proceed once we reach the required funding threshold. Participation is structured so organisations can contribute at a level reflecting their size (i.e., annual turnover), but it is completely voluntary.

A link to the information webinar hosted by ACOR (held on Thursday 30 April) is included so that you can better understand the proposed campaign and the participation being sought. 

To get involved and receive further information on the investment and participation model, please email batterycampaign@acor.org.au by Friday 29 May.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, feel free to reach out directly to:

Suzanne Toumbourou | Chief Executive Officer

Australian Council of Recycling

0423 407 467 | ceo@acor.org.au | www.acor.org.au

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