A 20-month trial will see food scraps and garden waste from two Coast retirement communities turned into compost instead of going to landfill.
From April 2026 to December 2027, Sunshine Coast Council will take part in a food and garden organics trial at these multi-unit dwellings. Trial participants will receive a kitchen caddy, compostable bin liners and a Food Organics Garden Organics bin.
The trial would inform council on the best way to recycle food waste in multi-unit buildings before expanding the service across the region. It’s part of council’s plans to reduce organic waste going to landfill and create a more sustainable future.
The benefits of compositing are many: when food and garden waste goes to landfill, it breaks down without oxygen and produces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change; by turning food and garden waste into compost, it creates a useful product for farms, gardens and landscaping instead of wasting valuable resources; and composting improves soil health and reduces the need for chemical fertilisers.
The food organics trial is a regional project funded by the Queensland Government and led by the Council of Mayors (SEQ). Other participating councils include Noosa Shire, Gold Coast and Brisbane.
For the Sunshine Coast, the trial is focused on retirement communities only. Council has partnered with two sites to test how a food organics service works in these settings. No other properties would be included in the trial.
