AORA August 2023 Newsletter

From the National Executive Officer

It is almost the end of winter and of course that means the end of August. I am not wishing the year away (it hasn’t needed any help in that regard) but as the weather (hopefully) improves with the onset of spring, inevitably some thoughts turn to football finals, spring racing carnival and of course for most of us, Christmas, all of which seem to be looming large. Spring of course is also a very busy time of year for organics recycling.

I would invite you to open up your diaries and consider a number of upcoming AORA events that we would be pleased to see you at between now and the end of the year:

• Queensland Farmer Demand and Market Specification for Organic Composts and Materials Workshops – Queensland (7 workshops across various locations)
• Waste & Recycle Conference 2023 – Perth, 13 and 14 September
• Food for Soil – Hunter Valley NSW, 21 September
• Waste Expo – Melbourne, 25 & 26 October
• AORA Annual Members Meeting/AGM – Sydney, 17 November

And for those of you with a 2024 diary already or are happy to scroll ahead within your electronic calendar, this is one not to miss!

2024 AORA National Conference – Sea World Conference Centre (Gold Coast, QLD) 5 -7 June 2024

AORA’s website and social media will keep you up to date with these events and others that are still in planning.

John McKew

National Executive Officer

Australian Organics Recycling Association

Nominations open for

AORA Board of Directors

AORA Board Members work to direct the overall strategic direction of the Association and to promote the industry and the beneficial use of organic materials through a National Executive Officer, contracted staff and state committees.

You can self-nominate or be nominated by another AORA Member.

Board Requirements

• Must be an AORA Processing or Associate Member (including National Member). 
• Must have the time and interest to serve on the Board. Typically, this is no more than 1 day a month. Board meetings are a mixture of online (Zoom) and face-to-face meetings but are predominantly held online monthly and usually for no more than two hours. Any face-to-face board meetings that require travel will be reimbursed.
• There are regular emails from the Chair / Directors / National Executive Officer and/or National Coordinator which may require timely consideration and responses.

There will be three vacancies on the AORA Board to fill for this 2023 election.

Charlie Emery (NSW), Morne Hattingh (WA) and Steven Marshall (VIC) are all coming to the end of their two-year terms. These Directors may renominate for their positions however Steven Marshall has indicated that he will not.

Peter Wadewitz will be stepping down from his role as AORA Chair at the 2023 AGM but will complete his term on the board to assist with the transition to a new Chair.

Board Nominations close at 5pm AEST 29 September 2023.

Innovative Equipment from FOCUS enviro Secures Gippsland Soil Solutions Position as Market Leader

AORA Events

Farmer Demand for Compost Workshops in Queensland

This series of free workshop will be facilitated by highly respected Queensland Agronomist, David Hall, and will also be an important opportunity to hear how the Queensland organic recycling industry is positioned to respond to farmer needs.

AORA Queensland has received funding from the Queensland Government to establish agricultural market specifications and demand for Queensland organic composts and materials. 

This workshop is part of a series of workshops being held all over Queensland with farmers to identify:

• Farmer demand for composts and soils;
• Farmer specifications for composts and soils; and
• How much farmers are willing to pay for product.

The key objective of the workshop is to discuss and in turn enable Queensland organic recycling industry to create products that meet your specifications. 

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

September 5 in Clifton

September 6 in Gatton

September 12 in Bowen

September 14 in Atherton

Still to come - Beerwah, Bundaberg and Nerang

Food for the Soil Breakfast Event - Newcastle

Thursday 21 September at 7.30am

Presented in partnership with the NSW EPA, AORA NSW’s Food for the Soil breakfast event aims to educate attendees about the existing and growing markets for the increasing supply of recycled organics products.

Building upon the information already available on the EPA/Circular Australia Cool Compost platform, Food for the Soil will feature a keynote presentation showcasing the effective use of recycled organics to remediate various landscapes from SESL’s Agronomist Simon Leake, as well as an interactive panel discussion facilitated by AORA NSW Chair, Charlie Emery and including representatives from the viticulture, biochar, local government and mining sectors.

This event provides an excellent opportunity for AORA members and non-members to network and ‘grow’ the conversation as we consider the ever-increasing role that recycled organics can play within the broader circular economy.

Keynote Speaker: Simon Leake, Director of Science & Founder of SESL Australia.

Interactive Panel Discussion

•  Bill Baxter, Environmental Specialist Rehabilitation, Yancoal

•  Elfi Blackburn , Organics Delivery Manager, City of Newcastle.

•  Martin Gransden, Group Viticulturalist, Tamburlaine Organic Wines

•  Craig Bagnall, ANZ Biochar Industry Group, Director of Environment and Regulatory - SEATA Group

•  Russ Martin, Director, MS2.

SAVE THE DATE

Wednesday 27 September

Elmore, Vic

 AORA Vic is hosting a Compost Field day at Elmore; this will include a bus tour of three field sites and conclude with a speaker session and bbq.

More information and tickets coming soon.

SAVE THE DATE

Friday 17 November

Sydney

AORA's Annual General Meeting will take place on Friday 17 November, followed by the Annual Members Forum, incorporating the NSW end of year drinks.

All AORA members are able to attend the AGM, only processing members have voting rights. This part of the day is free to attend and will also be available on Zoom for members who are unable to attend.  

The remainder of the day will be a ticketed event, and tickets will be available shortly.

AORA at Waste Expo - Join Us!

Waste Expo will be here before we know it!

Come and join us at this huge event in Melbourne in October. There will be over 100 brands on display, and the concurrent speaker sessions will feature 100+ speakers across the two days. Last year the audience was close to 3000 people and over 200 local governments were represented.

AORA will be part of the conference proceedings on;

Day One - 4.15pm; Speaker Session: Composting - the contamination dilemma, John McKew, NEO

Day Two -11am; Panel discussion: The challenges of organic recycling, food waste and compostable packaging, John McKew, AORA, Natasza Letowt-Vorbek, Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA), Rowan Williams, BASF, Keith Chessell, Board Member, AIP (Moderator).

Exclusive AORA rate is available for members who are interested in exhibiting - contact Sherri - sherri.pearson@rxglobal.com

Thank you and Farewell from our

Victorian Coordinator, Doug Wilson

This edition of the AORA Newsletter coincides with my departure from the Vic Coordinator role in the Association.

What was meant to be a 6 month engagement has turned out to be 4 years and I am very happy for that.

Having been involved previously in one avenue within the organic sector, I became enrolled in virtually every aspect of it, much to my satisfaction. Having been a purveyor of products, I became an advocate for the industry, working on behalf of Members with particular satisfaction in what we have achieved in our consultations with State Government agencies. I never thought I would be organising events at the MCG but that also was part of the role. Not bad for a bloke who was supposed to be retiring four years ago!

There are so many people for me to thank:

• AORA Vic Members for their consideration and their appreciation of our efforts on their behalf
• Frank Harney (Elmore Compost) who, as Vic Chair at the time, took the plunge and signed me up
• Sage Hahn (Van Schaik’s Bio Gro), current Vic Chair, with whom I have worked during the last three years. Sage is an outstanding leader and a passionate ambassador for the sector
• Members of the AORA Vic Committee over the past four years who have entrusted me with the representation of their priorities
• Colleagues such as Alex Hammett (National Coordinator) and Lisa Lepore (NSW Coordinator) for a constructive, cooperative dialogue and sharing of ideas
• John McKew, National Executive Officer, who has been a pleasure to work with since his arrival only one year ago.

It is worth mentioning that in late November - December this year, the AORA Vic Committee will be significantly revamped. The current members will stand down and there will be a call for nominations for all six positions on the Committee. John McKew, as well as temporarily fulfilling Vic Coordinator duties, will supervise and manage that Committee revision. John’s contact details are available in this newsletter - you are encouraged to speak to and correspond with him.

The Association’s work is vitally important and, even though I am finishing my involvement with it, I wish it every success in future and urge Members to be active in the group while encouraging others to join.

Cheers!

Doug

Work with us - Vic - Tas Coordinator

We are currently seeking expressions of interest for the contracted position of AORA VIC-TAS State coordinator.

Based in VIC and preferably within or in close proximity to Melbourne, the role will initially be contracted at a maximum of 70 hours/month.

The VIC_TAS State Coordinator position has a primary function as the key contact for the VIC and TAS organics recycling industry and acts as a conduit for state-based industry issues through to the AORA national office (via the National Executive Officer).

Reporting to the VIC State Committee/Chair (on all AORA VIC matters) and to the National Executive Officer (on AORA TAS and national matters) this is an important role to support the development of the organics recycling industry in both states and to work with a variety of stakeholders (members, sponsors, government, end-users, etc.)



The ideal candidate will be self-directed and motivated, passionate about organics recycling and the important role this will play in the development of a broader circular economy and will be capable of building the membership base for AORA, securing sponsorship, managing projects, comfortable in organising and executing events and will be seen as a credible and respected voice to government/government agencies.

Of Interest

AORA MEDIA PARTNERS

AORA FOUNDING MEMBERS