Brisbane will lock in the largest residential green waste processing operation in Australia, securing a panel of five local operators to support the city’s long-term waste future.
The new agreement secures Brisbane’s green waste processing for up to 20 years, creating local jobs while ensuring the scale and resilience needed for a growing population.
The agreement follows the successful citywide rollout of green bins, with over 150,000 new green bins in service since July 2025, bringing the total of green bins in service to 320,000.
Figures already show more than 30,000 tonnes of green waste was recycled between July and December 2025 through kerbside green bin pickup alone – a 25 per cent increase on the same period last year.
In addition, residents dropped off more than 79,000 tonnes of green waste at Brisbane’s four resource recovery centres in 2024-25.
Collected leaves, branches, grass and garden clippings are shredded and sent to local processors, where they are turned into mulch and compost for use on farms, in gardens and in parks across Brisbane and South East Queensland.
One contractor being engaged through the panel arrangement is building a new gasification plant that will be able to turn green waste into hydrogen, electricity or biochar for compost or soil products once complete.
Since green bins were introduced in 2010, more than 422,000 tonnes of garden waste have been diverted from landfill.
Now that the rollout is complete, Brisbane is expected to divert up to 80,000 tonnes of green waste from landfill every year.
The green bin rollout was funded through the State Government’s Grow FOGO program, while ongoing collection and processing remain the responsibility of Council.
The new green waste panel arrangement will begin on 1 July 2026.
Quote attributable to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner:
“Our Council has a proud track record of keeping costs down for residents and helping them reduce landfill.
“Every tonne of green waste recycled means less waste going into landfill and more nutrient rich compost to put back into community spaces across south east Queensland.
“This new panel gives Brisbane the flexibility to grow into the future, create local jobs and reduce waste, while also managing the impact of the former State Government’s waste levy.”
Quote attributable to a SOILCO CEO Alex Hatherly:
“We welcome the appointment to Council’s new panel, which provides the confidence needed to unlock further investment in the region.
“We are committed to delivering best practice resource recovery infrastructure for South East Queensland, and look forward to a collaborative, long term partnership with Brisbane City Council.”
