Joint media release: Reusing Western Australia’s food waste for improved farming

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water
The Hon Reece Whitby MLA, Western Australia Minister for the Environment and Climate Action

The Federal and Western Australian Labor governments have co-invested $11.25 million for 3 new organic recycling infrastructure projects that will divert up to 275,000 tonnes of Western Australia’s food organic and garden organic (FOGO) waste from landfill each year and convert it into compost.

The new facilities are located to the north, east and south of Perth and will support 146 construction jobs and 98 ongoing positions.

Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council will receive $2 million to build a new FOGO processing plant north-east of Midland at the Red Hill Waste Management Facility, which processes organic waste from five councils. The $18 million project will initially process 60,000 tonnes of organic waste each year, creating 110 jobs during construction and 50 ongoing positions. It will be scaled up over time to provide 100,000 tonnes.

C-Wise Holdings Pty Ltd will receive $5.75 million to build a new organic carbon recycling facility in East Keralup near Mandurah. The $28.61 million facility will process 100,000 tonnes of organic waste each year.

Joint funding of $3.5 million will expand the existing Go Organics facility at Boonanarring, north of Gingin. The $7.42 million project will support the rollout of FOGO north of Perth and process 75,000 tonnes of organic waste each year. 

Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP:

“In Australia, around 13 million tonnes of CO2 is created each year as a result of organic waste going to landfill.

“I am delivering a circular economy in Australia – more local jobs to support recycling, less waste going to landfill and reduced emissions.

“The increased composting capability in Western Australia will help us reach our national target of halving the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 2030.

“We’re not only reducing landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions, but we are making Western Australian soils more productive.”

Quotes attributable to Western Australian Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, Reece Whitby:

“These three projects are collectively valued at $54 million and are not far from Mandurah, Midland and Gingin. The facilities are expected to be complete by June 2025.

“Not only will they assist Western Australian farmers with a reliable source of high-quality compost, they will also support 146 construction jobs and 98 ongoing positions.

“Our Government has a target for all local governments in the Perth and Peel regions to adopt FOGO by 2025. We’ve committed $20 million to support councils in the rollout.

“Local governments and regional councils have embraced FOGO. Sixteen WA councils have rolled out the service and a further 11 have garden organics systems servicing more than 560,000 households.

“This joint investment will see our State’s ability to process organics grow as more local governments come on board to deliver FOGO.”