'Follow the carbon': Call for tougher waste laws as farmers reap benefits of compost

WA organic recycler says landfill is burying valuable nutrients, urges government to tighten legislation

By LineZotpaper

Published21 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources4 outlets

An organic recycling company has accused the Western Australian government of an over-reliance on landfill and called for stricter waste laws to recover nutrients for farming, as farmers report cost-effective benefits from compost made from organic waste.

C-Wise chief executive Greg Watts said the state government is burying valuable nutrients that could go back into local farms, while growers continue to pay high fertiliser prices. He cited Waste Authority figures showing 2.7 million tonnes of waste was sent to landfill in 2024-25, with 27.5 per cent of waste in the Perth and Peel region going to landfill.

"The figures are high because landfill is still the easy option in WA," Watts said. "Instead of burying this waste, we should be recovering the nutrients in it and putting them back into our farms."

C-Wise, based in Nambeelup in Perth's south, processes organic waste streams into compost and mulch. Watts argued that more organic material, including food scraps, garden pruning, coffee grounds and event waste, could be captured for composting rather than buried. He also noted that unsaleable commercial grain and dead chickens are resources lost rather than recovered due to a lack of legislation.

Currently only two-thirds of metropolitan Perth councils have introduced FOGO bins (Food Organics and Garden Organics). In August the state government changed rules, limiting green-lid bins to food scraps, garden waste and certified compostable caddy liners, rejecting previously accepted items such as tissues, tea bags and compostable packaging.

Narrogin farmer Ash Wiese trialled C-Wise compost and now uses it across his whole farm. He told this masthead the compost works as well as any fertiliser and is cost-effective. "From 50,000 houses worth of FOGO, we grow about 10,000 tons of oats, which is about 10 million bags of porridge," Wiese said. "So it's nice to think that if you're putting a bag of FOGO out, you're going to get more than a bag of porridge back."

Watts called for a higher landfill price to drive investment in alternatives. "Increase the price of landfill. Because if we make it more expensive to drop it in a hole, then people are going to invest in innovations to reduce that cost," he said.

A state government spokesperson said the government is committed to reducing landfill and increasing resource recovery, noting investments including $850,000 for five projects in 2023 and $3.66 million for three projects in 2025 to expand organics processing capacity.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Higher fertiliser prices are a burden on WA farmers; recovering nutrients from organic waste could lower costs and build soil health.
WA sends millions of tonnes of waste to landfill each year, with significant organic content that could be composted, reducing emissions and extending landfill life.
The outcome of this policy debate will affect recycling infrastructure investment, council waste services, and the viability of circular economy models in agriculture.

Background

Western Australia has been gradually expanding its Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bin system, but only about two-thirds of metropolitan councils participate. In August 2025, the state government tightened rules on what can go into green-lid bins, restricting certain compostable packaging and paper products. The Waste Authority's latest figures show 2.7 million tonnes of waste was landfilled in 2024-25, a level that recycling advocates say is too high. The state has invested in organics processing infrastructure, including grants to expand capacity, but critics argue stronger legislative drivers are needed.

Key Perspectives

C-Wise and organic recyclers: Argue that landfill is the cheapest option for waste disposal, discouraging investment in recovery. They want higher landfill levies and stricter bans on landfilling organic materials to create a market for compost products. Farmers like Ash Wiese: Report positive results from using compost, seeing improved soil organic matter and comparable crop yields at competitive cost. They support a circular economy that returns nutrients from city waste to farmland. WA state government: Says it supports the waste hierarchy and has invested millions in organics processing. It emphasises practical measures and existing programs, without committing to major policy changes or landfill levy increases at this stage.

What to Watch

Any changes to the landfill levy in the next state budget, which would signal government willingness to shift incentives.
Expansion of FOGO bin coverage to more WA councils, and whether the new bin rules improve compost quality.
Uptake of compost products by more WA farmers and potential for large-scale supply contracts.

Sources

‘Follow the carbon’: Call for tougher waste laws as farmers reap benefits of compost · Brisbane Times - Latest News
‘Follow the carbon’: Call for tougher waste laws as farmers reap benefits of compost · Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
‘Follow the carbon’: Call for tougher waste laws as farmers reap benefits of compost · The Age - Latest News
‘Follow the carbon’: Call for tougher waste laws as farmers reap benefits of compost · WA Today - Latest News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedWatts called on people to “follow the carbon”.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Now we’d like people to follow the carbon, but if they won’t follow the carbon, then they can follow the money, and we’ll be cheaper than landfill.”
SupportedC-Wise accused the WA government of relying too heavily on landfill and called for stricter waste laws.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “An organic recycling business has accused the state government of being “in love with landfill” and believes stronger legislation could benefit WA farmers. C-Wise chief executive Greg Watts said the government is burying valuable nutrients”
SupportedWatts said landfill was still the easy option in WA and the figures were high for that reason.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““The figures are high because landfill is still the easy option in WA,” Watts said.”
SupportedWatts said waste should be recovered for its nutrients and returned to farms.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““Instead of burying this waste, we should be recovering the nutrients in it and putting them back into our farms.””
SupportedWaste Authority figures showed 2.7 million tonnes of waste went to landfill in 2024-25, and 27.5 per cent of waste in Perth and Peel went to landfill.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “It comes after WA Waste Authority figures released last month showed 2.7 million tonnes of waste was sent to landfill in 2024-25. In the Perth and Peel region, 27.5 per cent of waste went to landfill.”
Partly supportedWatts said unsaleable grain and dead chickens were lost as resources because of a lack of legislation.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “That grain could be processed through a composting facility into a fertiliser replacement, but there’s no legislation to make that happen. Chicken mortalities just get buried on-farm.”
SupportedWiese said FOGO from 50,000 houses could produce about 10,000 tons of oats, or about 10 million bags of porridge.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““From 50,000 houses worth of FOGO, we grow about 10,000 tons of oats, which is about 10 million bags of porridge, which is about 200 bags of porridge for every one of those households that would put the FOGO in,” he said.”
SupportedWiese said that putting out a bag of FOGO would mean getting more than a bag of porridge back.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““So it’s nice to think that if you’re putting a bag of FOGO out, you’re going to get more than a bag of porridge back.””
SupportedWatts called for a higher landfill price, saying it would encourage investment in alternatives.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““Increase the price of landfill. Because if we make it more expensive to drop it in a hole, then people are going to invest in innovations to reduce that cost,” he said.”
SupportedOnly two-thirds of metropolitan Perth councils had introduced FOGO bins.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Currently only two-thirds of metropolitan councils in Perth have introduced FOGO bins for organic waste.”
Partly supportedIn August, rules limited green-lid bins to food scraps, garden waste and certified compostable caddy liners, and excluded previously accepted items such as tissues, tea bags and compostable packaging.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Households are only allowed to place food scraps, garden waste and certified compostable caddy liners displaying the AS 4736 seedling logo in their FOGO bins. Items which were previously accepted such as tissues and paper towels, tea bags, and compostable takeaway packaging now have to go in the red-lidded general waste bins.”
Partly supportedFarmers report cost-effective benefits from compost made from organic waste.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Narrogin farmer Ash Wiese trialled the compost from C-Wise and now uses it as part of his farm nutrition program. ... Wiese said the compost has the same effect on his crops as any other fertiliser he has used in the past and is equally cost-effective.”