Residents at a Buderim retirement village will be among the first on the Sunshine Coast to take part in a new food waste recycling trial aimed at reducing the amount of organic waste sent to landfill.
The pilot program, led by the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and funded by the Queensland Government, will test a range of food recycling solutions across South East Queensland over the next two-and-a-half years.
One of the first participating sites is IRT The Palms Retirement Village in Buderim, where food scraps collected from residents will be processed using technologies designed to turn waste into useful resources such as compost, mulch and renewable energy. Based on the media release provided by the Council of Mayors (SEQ).
The broader trial will also include holiday accommodation in Noosa, residential towers on the Gold Coast and future projects in Brisbane. Organisers say more than 530 tonnes of food waste could be diverted from landfill during the program.
Researchers from Central Queensland University will work alongside participating councils to assess which recycling methods are most effective in high-density living environments. Technologies being tested include food dehydrators, anaerobic digestion systems and on-site composting solutions.
The initiative comes as South East Queensland continues to grow rapidly, with population forecasts predicting the region will be home to around six million people by 2046. According to the Council of Mayors, organic waste currently makes up more than one-third of household general waste.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said reducing landfill remained a priority for the region and that community participation would play an important role in the trial’s success. According to the media release, the project is intended to identify practical ways for residents to reduce food waste and support a more circular approach to waste management.
If successful, the findings could help shape future food waste recycling programs for apartments, retirement communities and other multi-unit developments across South East Queensland.
Published 11-June-2026
