Organics Success: Turning Waste Into Impact

May 26, 2025

Organics Success: Turning Waste Into Impact

In late 2024, SCC began the rollout of its Organics Waste Training and Implementation Program — a key step in our commitment to improving sustainability across all our residential care sites.

After training was delivered in November 2024, services went live in mid-December at 20 of our residential aged care sites (5 were excluded due to the absence of commercial organic waste services in their regions). Since then, the results have been overwhelmingly positive, both in environmental impact and alignment with emerging government policy.

Reducing Waste to Landfill

Prior to implementation, our general waste (including wet, dry, and RDF) averaged 112.4 tonnes per month. Since organics segregation began, we’ve seen a clear downward shift, now sitting at 101.9 tonnes per month, representing a reduction of over 10 tonnes.

At the same time, organics collected has jumped dramatically — from an average of just 128kg per month to 6.45 tonnes per month post-training. These figures show that what was once being sent to landfill is now being diverted to more sustainable, productive use.

Leading Ahead of the FOGO Mandate

This transition places SCC ahead of the NSW Government’s FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) mandate, which comes into effect in July 2026. We’re proud to be proactively meeting – and exceeding – government expectations by embedding responsible waste practices now.

For more on the upcoming mandate:

• NSW EPA FOGO Rollout

Site Standouts

Our commitment is paying off, with several sites already showing major improvements in landfill diversion. Notable performers in January and February 2025 include:

• Thornton Park RAC: Up to 29.9% waste diversion
• Sutherland: Achieved 23.9% diversion
• Marian Nursing Home: Over 17% in both January and February
• Garran and Campbell: Surpassing 16% in February

These results signal not only behavioural change, but real environmental outcomes — with flow-on effects for waste collection frequency, operational costs, and our broader carbon footprint.