AORA July 2021 News - latest happenings and opportunities in the organics sector

31 July 2021

AORA July 2021 News

From the National Executive Director

Our 10 Year Roadmap for a world leading Organics Recycling Industry

The next 10 years will see Australia’s organics recycling industry become a world-recognised leader.

With headline targets to increase organics recycling rates to 80 per cent by 2026, and 95 per cent by 2031, Vision 2031: The 10 Year Roadmap for Australia’s World Leading Organics Recycling Industry draws a picture of where the industry could and should be by 2031.

The roadmap identifies the barriers stopping us from getting there and shows how we will remove those blockages.

At its core, the roadmap has been designed to show what we must do to create a stronger market. It’s about creating an environment for that growth.

The roadmap deliberately doesn’t define exact solutions. One thing we can predict for sure is that there are going to be a lot of twists and turns within the industry throughout the next 10 years. How we cope with that change as an industry is really important.

Establishing an increasingly collaborative relationship between industry and Government was a key goal in developing the roadmap. We’ll be working very hard to communicate the roadmap to senior decision makers and politicians at all three levels of government.

Vision 2031: The 10 Year Roadmap for Australia’s World Leading Organics Recycling Industry will be launched in coming weeks, initially to AORA members.

Peter Olah

National Executive Officer

AORA Membership 2021-22

Renewals are due on Aug 2

Existing AORA Members - Renewal invoices have been sent directly from Xero to your primary account contact, in the first couple of days of July. If you have not seen your invoice, please contact Alex ASAP on alex@aora.org.au DO NOT RENEW ON THE AORA WEBSITE

New members - you are welcome to sign up via the AORA website - www.aora.org.au/membership

Membership benefits include;

As a member, you (and your staff) are entitled to attend free events across the year as well as discounted members rates for all paid events.
Association support & advocacy on behalf of key membership issues
Regulatory changes
Policy advocacy
Standards and specifications
Access to AORA calendar of events
Linkages with allied industry suppliers & technical advisers
Regular industry updates
Use of AORA logo for co-branding
Regular AORA newsletters
Access & input into research & trials
Reciprocal Association Agreements
Networking opportunities
Ability to influence State and Federal Government policy as part of a unified and representative industry body
Ability to list and promote your own events on AORA calendar or newsletter
Sponsorship opportunities
Access to potential clients via end user targeted events
Access to fact sheets and case studies
Annual subscription to Waste Management Review.

Regional Forums held to

combat food waste in SA

In July Green Industries SA and KESAB Environmental Solutions delivered forums in the Riverland, Mount Gambier and Whyalla on: South Australia’s NEW Food Waste Strategy, the Circular Economy, Regional Waste Management, Compost and Closing the Loop.

Key points from the forum included that:

660,000tonnes of food waste is generated in SA each year. This equates to 370kg pp/yr. Only 13% is collected at Kerbside. The resulting nutrients, water and energy lost equate to $340m pre-consumer loss and $750m post-consumer loss.
Diverting organics from landfill lowers landfill costs to councils.
AORA’s Chair, Peter Wadewitz referenced the Australian Organics Recycling Industry Capacity Assessment 2020-21 and gave insights on the role that recycled organics play in improving soils.
Insights on a number of education and awareness strategies that have complimented successful recycling systems.

AORA members seeking more information about the forums, in the first instance please contact Uma Preston, AORA SA Secretary and Policy Officer sasecretary@aora.org.au

Thanks to Peats Soils for the image of the attendees at the Peats Whyalla Site.

Crafting Quality Compost for Viticulture

Thursday 19^th August 2021 9am -1:30pm

Wirra Wirra, McLaren Vale

Presented jointly by the Australian Organics Recycling Association, AORA and the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia, NASAA

Key Presenter: Tim Marshall, TM Organics and NASAA Chair

An opportunity to learn from a composting and organic farming guru and from iconic vineyards in the beautiful McLaren Vale region of South Australia. We will examine different approaches to making high-quality compost at the scale required on farm.

BOOK NOW

Product and Industry Development Workshops for the Agriculture and Organics Recycling Industries in Queensland

AORA, in partnership with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) have secured funding from the Queensland Department of Environment and Science to deliver a series of workshops across regional Queensland to improve end user understanding of the effective use of recycled organic products, whilst also developing the capacity of the organics recycling industry to understand and respond to the needs of its current and emerging end users across agriculture.

The aim of the workshop is for participants to gain an understanding of:

• The value and effects of using composted material on their farm

• Confidence in purchasing the correct product

• Compost analysis

• Application rates required in different contexts

• Timeframes in which compost will deliver these results

• Australian Standard AS 4454-2012 Composts, soil conditioners and mulches.

The full day workshops will be held across ten regional centres, including Boonah, Bundaberg, Cairns, Childers, Clifton, Glass House Mountains, Gatton, Gympie, Mackay, and Stanthorpe. An additional workshop will also be held in Brisbane.

AORA is currently working with DES and QFF to finalise dates and venues, but we anticipate that the majority of events will be held by the end of December.

PFAS National Environmental

Management Plan

Call for Volunteers for an

AORA National Working Group

The NSW EPA is represented on the Heads of EPAs (HEPA) National Chemicals Working Group (NCWG) and a key aspect is the development of risk-based guidance to inform the management of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolids.

To assist this work, the NSW EPA has contacted AORA on behalf of the NCWG to help understand Australian Organics Recycling Association's perspective, issues and concerns around risk assessment and management methodologies of PFAS in biosolids.

If you are interested in volunteering for a National Working Group please contact Peter Olah on

peter@aora.org.au or 0458 404 898

Of interest

EPA Vic Update

AORA Vic has recently undertaken detailed consultations with EPA Vic and other State Government agencies concerning the organics recycling implications of the new legislation, has been accredited under the Agency’s Industry Participation Program to provide information and guidance to its Members and selected non-Members on the implications of the Legislation.

Read the update

APCO releases Recycled Content Guide

This is a practical new resource to support Australian organisations to use more recycled content in their packaging. Developed to support the growing number of businesses redesigning their packaging to meet Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets, the guide provides clear and practical information about how to incorporate recycled content into packaging.

Odour Management needs innovation

New methods are now empowering operators with actionable insights to reduce odour impact, better manage odour complaints and enhance overall efficiency at their sites.

Read the Inside Waste Article

Queensland Recycling Modernisation Fund

Through a National Partnership Agreement (NPA) between the Queensland and Australian Governments, $40 million is being invested in a new Queensland Recycling Modernisation Fund (QRMF) to boost Queensland’s recycling industry. This investment comprises $20 million from the Australian Government and $20 million in co-funding from the Queensland Government.

Learn more

Using Compost to amend Sporting Fields

Mick Battam from Ag Enviro recently shared a series of videos with the AORA team; using compost to amend sporting fields.