As demand for long-term solutions to waste challenges intensifies, organics recycling specialist SOILCO is investing in the processing capacity needed to meet Australia’s diversion targets.
Maintaining the status quo is not an option for SOILCO.
The family-founded business, which has more than 50 years of organics recycling experience, is pursuing national expansion with an ambition to become an Australia-wide resource recovery platform that processes more than a million tonnes of organics every year.
This push is already reshaping the East Coast, underpinned by strategic acquisitions and greenfield developments.
Charlie Emery, Chief Executive Officer of SOILCO, says the growth strategy is focused on replicating SOILCO’s successful New South Wales network comprising large-scale regional facilities supported by urban aggregation points.
After more than 25 years in the business and six years on the Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA) board, Charlie is excited to see SOILCO cross state lines and make a significant contribution to landfill diversion.
AORA’s Economic Contribution of the Australian Organics Recycling Industry 2023-24 report reveals the challenge facing Australia’s organics recycling sector.
In the 2023-24 financial year, Australia generated an estimated 14.9 million tonnes of organic waste. While the industry recycled a substantial 7.7 million tonnes and recovered another 1.6 million tonnes through energy, the overall national recycling rate stood at 51.4 per cent. This means 5.7 million tonnes of valuable organic material was still sent to landfill.
Despite these hurdles, the Australian organics recycling industry is a powerful economic and environmental contributor, providing more than 5000 jobs and contributing $843 million in industry value to the Australian economy in 2023-24.
The industry is not only performing strongly but is also poised for growth. With the continuing focus on source separation of organics, the sector is ready to meet the ever-increasing volume of organics that need to be diverted from landfill.
The report states that achieving higher recycling rates would unlock immense benefits: reaching a 90 per cent recycling rate, for instance, is projected to generate an extra $2.0 billion in sales, provide more than 4000 extra jobs, and result in massive additional greenhouse gas savings.
To achieve these benefits requires substantial private sector investment and decisive action from industry leaders. This forward momentum is embodied by SOILCO, which is directly contributing to the future by investing in new capacity.
In 2025, the company entered the Victorian market by acquiring The Good Dirt Company. The acquisition secured a licensed 350-hectare site near Melbourne, which is operating as SOILCO Lethbridge.
While the original operation focused on agricultural waste streams including chicken manure, Charlie says the goal is to use and expand the 48,000-tonne licence to also process kerbside organics, supporting Victoria’s advanced FOGO journey.
“The location ensures SOILCO continues to strengthen its access to high quality organic feedstocks that will meet the requirements of our customers and the soil improvement needs of our communities,” he says.
Further north, SOILCO’s acquisition of Martins Fertilizers, a large-scale bagging facility in New South Wales, allows the business to expand its distribution network and markets. Simultaneously, the company has been progressing its greenfield developments in South East Queensland.
“We’re delivering much-needed infrastructure that future proofs our industry,” says Charlie. “With that infrastructure comes confidence that the services are fit for purpose and sustainable.”
SOILCO has now received all environmental approvals for its 161-hectare Bromelton Compost Manufacturing Facility in Scenic Rim, Queensland. With intersection and road works underway and the tender for the facility build progressing, the project is on track to become operational in the second half of 2026.
Queensland is also the planned home for SOILCO’s Pinkenba facility, where infrastructure works are progressing to deliver a transfer station in 2026. The goal, Charlie says, is to receive a diverse array of waste streams at the transfer station, and to transfer organic material toward large regional facilities like Bromelton for processing.
The facilities aim to fill a gap for councils seeking a solution for organic waste in the region.
Charlie says councils have been “supportive and pragmatic” and SOILCO has secured several long-term contracts, a crucial requirement for justifying major infrastructure builds.
“We’ve been impressed by how supportive council and government bodies have been to help us move our Victorian and Queensland projects forward,” he says.
“Queensland has fantastic transfer station infrastructure which is run by the councils or co-managed with a private waste company, so they understand the realities of our industry on the ground. They understand what’s a risk, and what isn’t, and they’re willing to share that risk.”
However, Charlie says that there are still hurdles to overcome. Many council contracts are structured as panels, meaning the provider is not necessarily guaranteed tonnes.
“In order to justify builds like these, there needs to be a minimum guarantee,” he says. “Some small tweaks to the existing procurement process in Queensland would help ensure that the necessary infrastructure can be built.”
The company also advocates for hypothecation of the state’s landfill levy, arguing that while councils receive grant funding, more direct support to the private sector would help build critical processing infrastructure.
This is particularly timely given the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, which “demands twenty-first-century waste infrastructure”.
With more opportunities and acquisitions on the horizon, the overarching goal for SOILCO is clear:
“We want to be a national resource recovery platform that processes more than one million tonnes each year,” Charlie says, confirming SOILCO has more than just organics in its sights.
“We are considering other waste streams and other verticals, and we have a plan to get there by 2029.”
For more information, visit: www.SOILCO.com.au
.png){kind=small}
