Reducing organic household waste sent to landfill

Tabled Report 1: 2025–26

Tabled date

2025-08-28

Report year

2025-26

Environmental protection Local government

Entities audited

• Brisbane City Council
• Council of the City of Gold Coast
• Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
• Sunshine Coast Council

Recommendations

1. QAO's text Addressed to: assesses whether the objectives, goals, and targets in the Queensland Organics Strategy 2022–2032 are achievable, and uses this information to inform its approach going forward. This

   assesses whether the objectives, goals, and targets in the Queensland Organics Strategy 2022–2032 are achievable, and uses this information to inform its approach going forward. This should include assessing the value and priority of actions based on progress to date, known risks, and relevant performance information.

2. QAO's text Addressed to: provides clarity about how it intends to manage the risk of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in compost. This

   provides clarity about how it intends to manage the risk of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in compost. This should include

   • clearly communicating with councils, industry, and relevant stakeholders the department’s approach going forward to manage PFAS risk in compost
   • continuing to monitor PFAS risks in organic waste.

3. QAO's text Addressed to: strengthens its risk management practices. This

   strengthens its risk management practices. This should include

   • regularly identifying risks to achieving the objectives of the Queensland Organics Strategy 2022–2032, assessing their likelihood and impact, and clearly stating the department’s risk appetite
   • implementing effective mitigation controls and continuing to assess the effectiveness of controls where risks do materialise.

4. QAO's text Addressed to: improves access to funding for infrastructure and organic waste initiatives. This

   improves access to funding for infrastructure and organic waste initiatives. This should include

   • reviewing existing grant funding guidelines and processes to identify opportunities to give greater flexibility and improve timely access
   • finalising planning activities and decisions to support the expansion of organic waste processing activities in line with key priorities.

5. QAO's text Addressed to: improves how it monitors, evaluates, and reports performance against the Queensland Organics Strategy 2022–2032 and the Queensland Organics Action Plan 2022–2032. This

   improves how it monitors, evaluates, and reports performance against the Queensland Organics Strategy 2022–2032 and the Queensland Organics Action Plan 2022–2032. This should include

   • collecting reliable organic waste data that will enable it to measure progress against the objectives
   • assessing whether existing targets are appropriate
   • monitoring performance against the objectives, performance measures, and targets
   • regularly assessing the effectiveness of actions and using this information to inform its approach
   • regularly reporting performance information to key decision makers, including the status of actions, key issues, and performance against the strategy’s objectives and targets.

Authoritative report — Queensland Audit Office

Report PDF on QAO