'Straight to landfill': Compostable packaging but nowhere to compost it

The ACT government requires public event organisers, vendors, and caterers to use reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging alternatives. (ABC News: Lish Fejer) The ACT was the first Australian jurisdiction to require public event organisers, vendors, and caterers to use reusable, recyclable, or compostable alternatives. But for many vendors and waste advocates, it is window dressing, with nearly all of it ending up in landfill because there is no facility to compost it. The ACT government says waterproof and non-stick coatings on many seemingly compostable products should not be composted, which adds to the complexity. Link copiedShareShare articleThere is something very wholesome happening at ACT events when you are eating your food truck treats from a compostable plate, with compostable cutlery and sipping from a compostable cup. The ACT mandates reusable, recyclable and compostable packaging at all public events, but nearly all of it ends up in landfill because there is no facility to compost it. Debbie Clifford pours hundreds of coffees every Saturday morning at the Capital Region Farmers Market, and is demoralised by the lack of action. Debbie Clifford says it's frustrating the government is not supporting Canberrans to compost their waste at public events. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy) "We're being sold a lie," Ms Clifford said. "It says compostable, but it's going straight to landfill. "What I find really frustrating is that so many people are willing to do the right thing, but the government is not able to support our community to do that." The ACT government was the first in Australia to ban single-use plastics at public events, requiring organisers, vendors, and caterers to use reusable, recyclable, or compostable alternatives, but it has not built the infrastructure to actually recycle or compost the material. While the original intent has been welcomed, many vendors and waste advocates say it is window dressing and has become a source of frustration rather than pride. Debbie Clifford says it doesn't make sense to pay more for compostable packaging when it will not be composted. (ABC News: Lish Fejer) "You buy them because they're meant to be compostable," Ms Clifford said. "They're more expensive than a regular cup, and that's because they're meant to be better for the environment. Across Canberra's event sector, small business owners, market managers and waste worriers are wrestling with a policy that mandates the front end of a circular economy without delivering it full circle. Dan Watters has spent decades working in resource recovery running events and helping events, such as the National Folk Festival, reduce their waste line. After eating breakfast at the Capital Region Farmers Market, Mr Watters pointed to the range of cardboard and paper products it was served on as an example of the ACT's composting issue. Dan Watters says putting compostable packaging in the recycling bin can contaminate the entire load. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy) "We don't have facilities in the ACT that can handle some types of material such as this," he said. Without those facilities, the mandated packaging ends up in one of two places: landfill, where organic material breaks down into methane, or in the recycling bin, where — unless it's correctly sorted — it contaminates the entire load. "People might think they're doing the right thing, but I'm pretty sure a lot of it's going to landfill," Mr Watters said. Capital Region Farmers Market manager Sarah Power said dealing with the waste was a complicated puzzle for vendors, customers and management alike. Sarah Power says all the vendors at the Capital Region Farmers Market are eager to figure out the market's waste management. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy) "Everyone here is really keen to embrace it," Ms Power said. It is looking at how to manage the organic waste through a private collection and in the past has partnered with SimplyCups, a Sydney-based company that composts the BioCup, but the program is expensive and relies on shipping waste interstate, producing its own transport emissions. "It would be fantastic if we could find a way to get that material into a compost, but we haven't found the right person in government to have those discussions," Ms Power said The Capital Region Farmers Market is considering composting its waste privately through a company like SimplyCups, which composts BioCups. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy) Mr Watters said it was clear that getting rid of single-use petroleum-based plastics was the right first step and reflected genuine environmental intent. He pointed to what he sees as a golden, but currently untapped, opportunity to compost waste at scale in the ACT. "You need a mix of carbon and nitrogen to successfully compost," Mr Watters said. "We have a great opportunity here, the FOGO [Food Organics and Garden Organics] trial will be getting a lot of nitrogen material. The FOGO trial provides households with

'Straight to landfill': Compostable packaging but nowhere to compost it

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