Composting regulation in Queensland
In Queensland, composting more than 200 tonnes of organic material per year is classified as environmentally relevant activity (ERA) 53(a) and an environmental authority (EA) is required under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act). For more information regarding EA applications, refer to the Business Queensland portal.
Composting is a significant industry in Queensland which annually converts over a million tonnes of organic residues and waste into products which generally improve soil health and quality. Without a composting industry, significantly more organic waste would be landfilled or otherwise disposed of without processing, resulting in a range of environmental and social impacts. However, composting activities also have a high potential to impact the environment and local communities. In recent years, the department has seen an increase in the types and nature of organic and inorganic waste streams in composting. There has also been a considerable number of community reports received state-wide about odour nuisance potentially from composting operations. The department is working with the industry and EA holders to ensure that the industry can continue to supply safe and sustainable compost products and support a circular economy.
New regulations for composting facility standards
The Queensland Government has made regulation changes for compost facilities to reduce the impacts of odour on nearby residents.
These legislative changes ensure that the environmental regulator considers imposing a requirement for new and expanding composting facilities located within four kilometres of a residential zone that receive odorous waste to use in-vessel or enclosed processing.
This form of processing is considered best practice in reducing nuisance odours from leaving the site and affecting nearby residents.
The changes will also provide an additional ground for the regulator to initiate updating the environmental authorities of existing composting facilities on a site-by-site basis.
They will also ensure transporters of odorous waste do not take waste to sites that do not meet this standard.
The changes will not affect composting facilities that are located more than four kilometres away from residential zones or are not receiving odorous waste.
Recent consultation on the proposed changes to the state’s composting regulations was met with overwhelming support from community members, industry, and local government.
More than 93% of community feedback and more than 70% of industry and local government responses called for stronger regulation of composting facilities, with the aim to reduce the impact of nuisance odour on nearby communities. Over 60% of responses received were from community members in the Ipswich area.
Read the consultation summary report .
Managing PFAS in compost
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known as a group of ‘forever chemicals’ that can persist in the environment long-term, bioaccumulate in living organisms and are highly mobile in water and soils. PFAS are commonly found in the environment at low levels due to their wide-spread use in consumer and speciality products over many decades.
The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (the department) is managing PFAS contamination at a range of sites and working with a number of sectors to reduce the spread and risk of PFAS.
The department recognises that the organics industry can control some PFAS risks, but contamination may arise from a range of different sources and materials that are difficult to control, until the use of PFAS is phased out in range of materials.
In June 2026, the Queensland Government confirmed that PFAS limits will no longer be applied to composting (ERA 53) EAs and the department will instead adopt a more flexible, fit-for-purpose regulatory approach.
Under this approach, the PFAS NEMP will be utilised in considering an operator’s General Environmental Duty obligations, including utilising the Human Health Investigation Levels for residential land use with garden/accessible soil (HIL A) as published in the PFAS NEMP (Table 5), where operators are expected to meet these levels at least 75% of the time (on average over a 12-month period).
This webpage and associated guidance materials are being updated to reflect this approach.
Further, the department:
- Has appointed a waste industry liaison officer to assist industry in understanding how they can meet their General Environmental Duty and manage risks appropriately, and
- Is collaborating with industry to develop a voluntary compost feedstock monitoring program for PFAS in green waste to better understand which compost feedstocks present the greatest potential PFAS risk
The voluntary compost feedstock monitoring program for PFAS in green waste will be developed collaboratively with the Waste and Recycling Industry Association of Queensland (WRIQ), Australian Organics Recycling Association Limited (AORA), and Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia Ltd (WMRR).
The department will continue to collect information and refine its approach as the evidence base develops. As well as continue working with industry, environmental authority holders and other stakeholders to ensure:
- safe and sustainable compost products that protect the community and environment
- help divert organic waste from landfill
- help grow the organics processing sector
- provide certainty and confidence to industry.
Peer Review: Derivation of PFAS limits for products of organic material processing ERA 53 under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 Technical Report
In October 2024, the Queensland Government committed to peer reviewing the department’s advice about its derivation of PFAS limits (PDF, 1.3MB) . This peer review has now been completed and both reports published. The peer review considered the department’s exposure and compost use assumptions and calculations to verify accuracy and identify data gaps.
The review concluded that, the department’s approach at the time was scientifically sound and appropriate within the current regulatory framework and was protective of a range of environmental values. It also found the levels were broadly consistent with levels set out in the PFAS NEMP. The review focussed on consideration of the department’s limits and methodology and did not assess whether higher limits were likely to be protective, nor did it derive an alternative set of limits.
Composting guidance materials
Several documents have been developed to provide guidance about the regulation of composting activities in Queensland.
Critical Evaluation of Composting Operations and Feedstock Suitability Report
The department engaged Arcadis Australia Pty Ltd to deliver the Critical Evaluation of Composting Operations and Feedstock Suitability Report.
The department has recognised this report as a recognised entity report under section 215(2)(l) of the EP Act.
The EP Act provides the department with the power to amend existing EAs on the basis of a report made by or for, or approved by, a recognised entity (i.e. a recognised entity report). Following the approval of a recognised entity report, the department may choose to amend applicable EAs.
A copy of the report is provided below. All enquiries in relation to this report should be emailed to palm@detsi.qld.gov.au. Please do not contact the report’s author in relation to the report contents or how the department may use the report.
Phase 1 – Odour issues
Phase 2 - Contamination
Organic Feedstock Odour Rating Assessment
The Organic Feedstock Odour Rating Assessment report complements the Critical Evaluation of Composting Operation and Feedstock Suitability Report and may be used to support a feedstock management plan odour rating process for organic material processing by composting ERA 53(a) activities.
Best Practice Environmental Management ERA 53(a)
The Best Practice Environmental Management ERA 53(a) Guideline provides best practice environmental management guidance for ERA 53(a) Organic material processing by composting. The Guideline is used as a reference document for the regulation of ERA 53(a). The Guideline also assists operators in designing and operating composting facilities to better manage the risk of environmental harm and to achieve environmental outcomes in accordance with the EP Act.
Model operating conditions ERA 53(a)—Organic material processing by composting
The model operating conditions provide a framework of conditions for an EA to carry out ERA 53(a).
The model operating conditions are used as a starting point for conditions that may be imposed and can be further tailored to site specific conditions.
Copies of amended composting EAs (including those with conditions that have been updated more recently) can be found on the public register portal.
Note: the ERA53 MOCs are under review to reflect the current approach to managing PFAS in compost.
Study: PFAS in food organics, garden organics
In 2024, a study of PFAS sampling and analysis in food, garden and commercial organic recycled materials was finalised.