How to compost in Australia
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Compostable products and packaging are becoming more widely available, including as replacements for single use plastic items.
What you can compost depends on your local council guidelines and the facilities available in your local area. Use Recycle Mate to easily search by your street location, to find out how best to dispose of packaging or products.
Items that carry either the home or industrially certified compostable logo can be placed in Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside collections, where your local council guidelines permit.
Home compostable items can also be safely composted at home. Alternatively, check your local council’s website for available facilities. If FOGO is not offered or does not accept these items in your area, you may be able to drop off compost at community composting points.
Compostable Certifications
Australia and New Zealand have two certification schemes for compostability. To check if a product can be composted, look for the logos.
Industrially compostable (AS 4736) certified products or packaging
Items displaying the seedling logo (L) are capable of being composted in industrial composting facilities, such as those used by councils offering Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) collection. These facilities have controlled temperature and moisture conditions to rapidly break down organic material, meaning a broader range of materials and products can be composted. For FOGO availability in your area, check your local council, or search for the item you wish to dispose of using RecycleMate.
Home compostable (AS 5810) certified products or packaging
Items displaying the home compostable logo (L) are capable of being composted in home compost along with food scraps, grass clippings, leaves and other organic matter. Products typically take longer to biodegrade in home compost because the temperature and conditions aren’t as controlled as in an industrial composting facility.
What can be composted
Understanding what can and can’t be composted will help you only compost items that will break down, and avoid contamination of the compost.
Certified home-compostable packaging can be included in your home compost. By composting this with your food scraps and garden waste at home, you can help reduce your environmental impact, keep food waste out of landfill, and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden.
If your local council offers Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside collection, your organic waste can be processed into compost that can be used for food production, parks and sports fields. Check your council guidelines for more information.
These items can typically be home composted
Materials certified to Australian Home Compostable standards
Food scraps: Fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells, and nut shells.
Garden waste: Grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and small branches.
Paper products: Unwaxed cardboard, brown paper bags, and newspaper.
Chicken manure
These items can typically be industrially composted via FOGO
Materials certified to Australian Home Compostable standards, where accepted by your local council
Materials certified to Australian Industrial Compostable standards, where accepted by your local council
All items that can go in Home composting, plus
Dairy and meat products
These items typically can't be composted
Materials not certified to the Australian Compostable standards
Plastic: All types of plastic, including bags, bottles, and packaging.
Metal: Cans, aluminium foil, and other metal objects.
Glass: Broken glass and other glass items.
Hazardous materials: Batteries, chemicals, and paint.
Pet waste including cat litter (except chicken manure)
Composting at home
By composting your food scraps and garden waste, you can help reduce your environmental impact and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden.
If you’re already home composting, you can place certified home compostable packaging in with your organic garden waste and food scraps, to be broken down into nutrient-rich soil by worms, insects, and microorganisms, such as fungi and bacteria.
If you’re new to home composting, there are lots of ways to create your own home compost. The best compost solution will depend on your lifestyle, space, time and the amount of organic waste you produce.
Compost Revolution has more information to help you select the best composting option for your needs, and get you on the road to making your own compost.
Compostable fruit & veg bags
We encourage customers to reduce single use plastics by purchasing their loose fruit & veg ‘bagless’, or using a reusable mesh bag.
Woolworths also offers compostable Fruit & Veg bags, used in South Australia since 2022, and in Western Australia from August 2024.
These bags are certified to the Australian Standards for Home (AS5810) and Industrial (AS4736) compostability, so they can be used to capture food scraps at home, then help reduce food waste in landfill by composting both the bag and scraps at home, or in FOGO collections, where offered.
The compostable Fruit & Veg bag is compatible with most council ‘kitchen caddies’, and bags are typically accepted in FOGO wherever food scraps are, however please check your local council.
Use RecycleMate to search ‘compostable fruit & veg bag’ to check what disposal options are available in your area.
If you don’t have access to FOGO or home composting, you should place the bags in red/general waste bins.
Compostable bags are not recyclable so should not be disposed of in mixed or soft plastics recycling as they will contaminate the recycling process.
Compostable tableware
We encourage customers to choose reusable tableware options that can be washed and used again and again.
Woolworths offers a range of compostable plates, bowls and cups. Look for the Australian Standard logos for Home (AS5810) and/or Industrial (AS4736) compostability in order to dispose of your compostable tableware items, together with any food scraps, in your home compost, or FOGO council collection where offered.
Search "compostable tableware" on RecycleMate to see what options are available in your area. If you don’t have access to FOGO or home composting, place these items in red/general waste bins.
Paper or cardboard items with no food residue may also be recycled in kerbside recycling, where indicated by the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL).
Compostable packaging
Certain Woolworths ‘food-for-now’ packaging such as hot food boxes and bakery trays, are now compostable and will display the Australian Standards logos for Home (AS5810) and/or Industrial (AS4736) compostability.
Depending on the compostable certification type, place them in home compost, or FOGO council collections, where offered.
Search "compostable packaging" on RecycleMate to see what's available in your area.
If you don’t have access to FOGO or home composting, place these items in red/general waste bins.
Paper or cardboard items with no food residue may also be recycled in kerbside recycling, where indicated by the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL).
Frequently asked questions
What certifications are used to show compostability?
The Australian and New Zealand Standards for compostability have two certifications, one for Home Compostability (AS 5810-2010) and one for Industrial Compostability (AS 4736-2006). These certifications can be identified by their logos.
How should I dispose of compostable packaging or foodware items?
Items marked with the home compostable certification logo (AS 5810-2010) can be placed in your backyard compost, in community facilities that accept packaging, or via kerbside FOGO council collection where local council guidelines allow.
Items marked with the industrial composting certification logo (AS 4736-2006) can be placed in kerbside FOGO, where available, but are not suitable to place in home compost.
What is FOGO?
FOGO stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics. This is a service offered by a growing number of local councils where the ‘green bin’ can accept food scraps, as well as garden waste.
How do I know what facilities are available in my area?
Check with your local council to see what services are available near you. For compostable packaging and food service items, you can easily search the item and your location using RecycleMate to find the best disposal option.
What can I put in my FOGO bin?
Check if your local council offers FOGO in your area, and what items are accepted. Typically FOGO services accept garden waste such as flowers, leaves, grass clippings and pruning, plus food waste including leftovers, bread, vegetable scraps etc.
What should I do with compostable packaging or food service items if I don’t have access to composting or FOGO?
Certified compostable items such as Fruit & Veg bags, plates, cups and food boxes should be placed in your red bin. Compostable plastic items such as compostable fruit & veg bags are not recyclable and should not be placed in mixed or soft plastics recycling. Compostable paper or cardboard items such as paper plates or food boxes that do not have food residue can be recycled in kerbside recycling, where indicated by the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL).
What about items with other compostability certifications; can these be composted in Australia?
There are many compostability certifications and standards internationally including ASTM D6400 and EN 13432. These standards are not the same as AS 4736:2006 and AS 5810:2010, which include an additional requirement of an earthworm toxicity test. This testing ensures that items certified to the Australian standards have no toxic effect on plants and earthworms, making them preferable to other international standards.