Food waste off the menu as NSW recycling reforms start
Big supermarkets and large catering businesses that prepare or provide food are now required to separate food waste from general waste. These nation-leading recycling rules are designed to tackle the 1.7 million tonnes of food wasted in NSW each year.
The Minns Labor Government’s reforms, supported by $81 million in funding, are part of the first phase of the Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) recycling mandates and mark a major step in the state’s shift to a circular economy. These reforms will reduce landfill and support food rescue charities.
Without action, Greater Sydney is on track to run out of landfill by 2030. Scaling up FOGO services to make sure everyone is separating their food waste is essential to not only prevent the looming waste crisis but also cut emissions and recover valuable resources.
The first stage, starting 1 July 2026, applies to premises that send close to 4,000 litres of general waste to landfill each week, the equivalent of two skip bins.
Large supermarkets must also track their food donation volumes from today, helping direct more edible surplus food to charities and people in need rather than to landfill.
The Government’s recycling reforms will also require NSW councils to have weekly FOGO collections in their communities from July 2030. Already, most regional councils have household FOGO services and many metro councils have already made the switch.
Almost half of the average household’s red-lid bin is food and garden waste, and the typical home throws out nearly 220 kilograms of food each year, costing households around $2,100 a year.
Once collected, food scraps and garden waste are recycled into valuable products such as compost for parks, agriculture and landscaping.
In preparation for these changes, the NSW Government has worked with 120 local government representatives and held information sessions with hundreds of industry representatives. The Government is supporting councils, businesses and industry through funding and guidance to help deliver the changes, which are being rolled out over four years to give businesses and councils time to prepare.
Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said:
“From today, these reforms will change the way NSW manages organic waste – treating it as a valuable resource, not rubbish.
“We are proud to lead the nation as the first state to implement a statewide organics recycling mandate for households and businesses.
“We know businesses and households want to do the right thing with food waste, and we are providing the support for them to do just that.”
Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich said:
“Food waste doesn’t just take up space in landfill – it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
“Separating food and garden waste is one of the most effective ways we can decrease emissions from the waste sector.
“Every tonne of FOGO diverted from landfill saves around 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, helping to build a more sustainable and resilient recycling system for NSW.”
Coles State General Manager NSW Ivan Slunjski said:
“Reducing food waste has long been a priority for Coles, not only because of the environmental benefits, but also because surplus food can help ease food insecurity for people in need.
“Last financial year we diverted 88% of our solid waste from landfill, including more than 100,000 tonnes of food and organic waste through our food donation, animal feed and food and organics recycling programs.
“Our priority is always to ensure unsold, edible food reaches people who need it most through our long-standing partnerships with SecondBite and Foodbank. Together, we've helped provide more than 350 million equivalent meals to Australians in need since these partnerships began."