From the National Executive Director |
|
In this newsletter, you will see the details for AORA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting on 22 November. Please use the link to register and make sure you attend. It will not be a long meeting, and your attendance and participation is vital to the representative democracy that makes AORA strong.
One of the key items at the AGM will be the announcement of results for the ballot for the AORA Board of Directors. The AORA Board is our key governance body and this election process ensures that it remains strong, diverse, and representative of our membership.
The AORA Constitution provides that each Director is elected for a period of two years, with an election for half the Directors each year. This year we have three vacancies to be filled via this ballot. Processor members (who are our voting members) have the choice of five nominees, including two current Directors seeking re-election (in alphabetical order):
· Jan Dübbelde
· Charlie Emery (current Director)
· Morné Hattingh
· Duncan Le Good
· Steven Marshall (current Director).
Professional information about each nominee is available from the link on the ballot page.
If you are the representative of a Processor Member of AORA you are entitled to one vote in the ballot. You should already have received your email ballot link. If you have not done so, please contact us at admin@aora.org.au. For a valid vote, you must vote for three candidates exactly. The login information provided to you is specific to your company, and can only be used once.
I look forward to seeing you at the AGM on 22 November.
Peter Olah
National Executive Officer
|
|
Welcome to our new AORA Members |
|
Associate Members
Source Separation Systems
Front Page Media
Mindarie Regional Council
Organics Recyclers Solutions
Student Member
Angus Howlett
Processing Member
Tamworth Regional Council
|
|
Upcoming Events
AORA VIC Showcase Event
Thursday 25 November
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Bookings opening soon
AORA NSW Christmas Luncheon
Friday 3 December
Venue TBC
Annual Members Forum
Please note we have decided to defer this event until February to enable as many members to attend with State Borders hopefully fully open.
|
|
Monday 22 November
10:30am NSW/VIC/TAS | 10am SA | 9.30am QLD | 7.30am WA
The AORA Annual General Meeting will be held on Zoom.
The following documents are currently being prepared:
· Proxy form
· Audited financial statements.
Voting for Directors is currently underway via an Online platform and details have been sent directly to processing members.
Please note that only Processing Members who are financial members (that is a member who has paid all subscriptions due) have a right to vote. If you have not yet paid your membership renewal, please contact Alex Hammett (alex@aora.org.au) to discuss this ASAP.
All AORA members have a right to attend the AGM, and we encourage you to do so. A healthy AORA is one with engaged members directing its future.
Please RSVP by registering via the link below.
If you are unable to attend, please let us know so we can ensure a proxy form is sent directly to you.
|
|
Is Composting the only option for FOGO?
Register now for this upcoming webinar
|
|
Tuesday 23 November at 10am
As FOGO implementation escalates across the nation, now is a crucial time for our industry to consider and evaluate the technologies available for FOGO processing.
This webinar, presented by AORA and the Australian Industrial Ecology Network will explore the opportunities for FOGO processing beyond windrow and in-vessel composting with presentations from regulators, processors and technology providers including:
- Amanda Kane, Manager Organics, NSW EPA
- Matt Genever, Chief Operating Officer, Sustainability Victoria
- John Hart, Senior Program Manager, Byron Shire Council
- Simon Toal, Skala Australasia
- Tim Richards, Managing Director, Richgro
- Dr Marc Stammbach, Director, Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia
|
|
Join us at one of the upcoming Queensland Compost Workshops. These workshops are proudly delivered by AORA and the Queensland Farmers Federation and sponsored by the Queensland Government through the Department of Environment and Science.
The series of workshops in regional Queensland will help end users understand the benefits and effective use of compost and mulches produced from recycled organic inputs. This will help the Organics Recycling Industry better understand and respond to the needs of the current and emerging agriculturalists.
The workshops are presented by David Hall, a leading Agronomist, who will explain the commercial and environmental benefits derived from the use of compost in the Queensland Agricultural Industry.
These are the first round of workshops, more will be delivered in Northern Queensland in the new calendar year.
Workshop Outline
9am - Arrivals - Tea and Coffee
9.15am - Soil Quality and Health
9.50am - What is compost and what is not?
10.30am - MORNING TEA
11am - Is all compost the same?
11.30am - How much do I need to apply?
12pm - How long will it take to see results?
12.30pm - LUNCH
1pm - Contamination
1.30pm - Case Studies
2pm - Q and A
2.30pm (approx) - event close.
|
|
ICAW 2022
Recipe for Regeneration: Compost
The theme for 2022 is Recipe for Regeneration: Compost. The ICAW theme is used for the Poster Contest, which encourages artists throughout the world to create a design sharing the importance of composting and compost use. There is also a video contest for children in 4th – 8th grade (ages 10 - 13).
The 2022 theme highlights the overall regenerative agriculture movement and how compost and organics recycling fit into that process.
The video and poster competitions accept global applications and the competition entry period begins on Sept 1.
Please share this link with any budding artists or videographers! Entries close on Nov 1.
AORA is a proud sponsor of ICAW.
|
|
Call to halve Nitrogen Waste by 2030
Article contributed by Johannes Biala.
There is little awareness that overproduction and loss of reactive nitrogen from agriculture and other sources is a significant global problem, comparable to carbon emissions and climate change. The seriousness of the situation and lack of awareness prompted a call from the United Nations in 2019 (Colombo Declaration) to manage reactive nitrogen compounds sustainably across all sectors of human activity and ‘halve nitrogen waste’ by 2030 in order to reduce detrimental ecological and human health impacts of nitrogen pollution.
Agricultural and non-agricultural industries contribute to excess production, use and loss of reactive nitrogen. Agricultural nitrogen losses are largely attributed to (i) oversupply of nitrogenous fertilisers and associated low nitrogen use efficiency, and (ii) the production, management and use of manure in intensive animal industries. The limited knowledge among suppliers and users of manures and other organic amendments regarding nutrient content and plant nutrient supply over time is seen as a contributing factor to the problem.
A Nutrient Calculator for Organic Amendments that is currently developed with federal funding support (DAWR), and of which a prototype will be available in early 2022, will provide farmers, agronomists and suppliers of manures and composts with a decision support tool for integrating organic amendments into farm nutrient budgets. The fact that macro nutrients contained in Australian agro-industrial residues in 2015 were estimated to amount to about 246,000 t of N, 88,000 t of P and 359,000 t of K, representing a nutrient replacement value of $1.9 billion (2017 value) shows that it makes good economic and environmental sense to account for nitrogen and other plant nutrients supplied with organic amendments in agriculture and horticulture. …and the above value does not even account for micronutrients, liming effects, addition of carbon, improved water status and enhanced soil health.
|
|
Recycling Victoria Organics Sector Transformation Fund
The Fundsupports the diversion of organic waste from landfill and the enhancement of end markets for recycled organics across the agricultural sector.
$10.2 million is currently available under round 1 for organic processing businesses to develop new or enhance existing organic processing infrastructure to improve product quality or increase capacity.
The potential for enhancing soil carbon levels through the use of organic soil amendments in Queensland
Application of organic amendments such as livestock manures and compost is commonly listed amongst strategies with potential to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC) in agriculture and contribute to climate change mitigation.
What comes first the chicken or the egg?
How many times have you heard this: “Council cannot go to FOGO because there are no processing facilities and no markets for the compost”. Many Councils pose this as a Chicken and Egg question. It isn’t.
I Squared Capital, through its ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund III, has agreed to acquire a majority interest in SOILCO Pty. Ltd, an AORA Member and leader in the organics recycling industry in Australia from its shareholders and has committed a further $300 million to support the platform’s growth across the country.
Plastic versus bioplastic
“There are people in the packaging industry doing really great things,” reports BehaviourWorks Australia waste researcher Jenni Downes. “Then there are people who are trying to capitalise on consumer sentiment, who are just trying to sell products. That’s greenwashing.”
Soils can't hold enough carbon to offset Australian emissions, experts say
Experts say it is not possible to meet the net zero target, without a "massive" offset program which cannot rely on bio-sequestration.
|
|
If you have a story, link or news to share with AORA members, please email Alex
|
|
AORA - Australian Organics Recycling Association
0434 625 472| admin@aora.org.au
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
