33005 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment

33005 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment: Has the Government modelled the cost per tonne of food waste disposal via landfill versus composting or anaerobic digestion, if so, what are the figures?

Hon Penny Simmonds: I am advised an assessment of the costs and benefits for the kerbside collection policies was completed in 2022 and included a national estimate of $127 per tonne cost (disposal cost) for processing (eg, composting/anaerobic digestion) versus $245 per tonne for landfill. The member should note that disposal costs were only one input into this assessment and the overall costing will include benefits as well as costs. The cost of disposal for food waste will also be influenced by local factors such as infrastructure, geography, and proximity to a processing plant. This means local costs can be highly variable and are likely to differ from a national estimate.