can the beneficial use of waste products rich in nitrogen and retention of crop
residues on agricultural soils. Sustainable soil management in Queensland currently
focuses on the important issues of retention of surface residues, minimising wheeled
traffic and managing soil nitrogen and other nutrients. Agronomic practices impact
soil biota largely by the quantity and quality of crop residues returned to soil
(Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2017).
8.4 Organic Reuse and Nutrient Recovery from Wastes
in Queensland
Waste is defined in the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) (Queensland
Government 2018a) as including anything that is left over or is an unwanted
by-product from an industrial, commercial or domestic activity. There are a range
of requirements that are placed on the management of waste depending on its type or
composition. The waste and resource management hierarchy needs to be considered
when determining the options for managing waste. Reusing a waste is one of the
preferred management options, second only to avoiding or reducing the amount of
waste generated. Waste and recovered resources should also be managed as close to
the source of generation as possible. A significant proportion of the wastes are rich in
nutrients and carbon, which can potentially be used for manufacturing new highperformance fertilisers. However, there are some issues, such as heterogeneity of the
waste materials and associated contaminants that need to be addressed prior to their
reuses. Contaminants are substances that have not been intentionally added to food.
These substances may be present in food as a result of the various stages of its
production, packaging, transport or holding. They also might result from environmental contamination. Contamination generally has a negative impact on the quality
of food and may imply a risk to human health with food safety and traceability
becoming of increased concern to consumers. Currently a limited range of proven
and well-distributed (fertiliser products as well as waste) products are available for
farmers to manage complex soil constraints. For example, up to 50% of domestic
waste are organic materials with other organic wastes including sewage sludge, food
wastes and industrial food processing wastes. To address soil fertility constraints,
increase crop yield and minimise environmental risks, there is an urgent need to
employ cost-effective, innovative technologies to develop novel slow-release
fertilisers and soil amendments to enhance the performance of soils. Recently in
Queensland, and indeed Australia, there has been increasing rhetoric throughout the
media on both the opportunities and risks posed by recycled and non-recycled
organic wastes being spread to farmland stimulated, in part, by the adoption of
more ‘plate to paddock’ approaches. During 2016–2017 in Queensland, a total of
4,363,000 tonnes of headline wastes was diverted from landfill disposal, an increase
of 7.9% from 2015 to 2016. Of this volume, approximately 626,000 tonnes of
segregated green waste was ‘recovered’ (through the use of composting techniques
8 Sustaining Queensland’s Agricultural Sector: Challenges and. . .
123
residues on agricultural soils. Sustainable soil management in Queensland currently
focuses on the important issues of retention of surface residues, minimising wheeled
traffic and managing soil nitrogen and other nutrients. Agronomic practices impact
soil biota largely by the quantity and quality of crop residues returned to soil
(Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2017).
8.4 Organic Reuse and Nutrient Recovery from Wastes
in Queensland
Waste is defined in the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) (Queensland
Government 2018a) as including anything that is left over or is an unwanted
by-product from an industrial, commercial or domestic activity. There are a range
of requirements that are placed on the management of waste depending on its type or
composition. The waste and resource management hierarchy needs to be considered
when determining the options for managing waste. Reusing a waste is one of the
preferred management options, second only to avoiding or reducing the amount of
waste generated. Waste and recovered resources should also be managed as close to
the source of generation as possible. A significant proportion of the wastes are rich in
nutrients and carbon, which can potentially be used for manufacturing new highperformance fertilisers. However, there are some issues, such as heterogeneity of the
waste materials and associated contaminants that need to be addressed prior to their
reuses. Contaminants are substances that have not been intentionally added to food.
These substances may be present in food as a result of the various stages of its
production, packaging, transport or holding. They also might result from environmental contamination. Contamination generally has a negative impact on the quality
of food and may imply a risk to human health with food safety and traceability
becoming of increased concern to consumers. Currently a limited range of proven
and well-distributed (fertiliser products as well as waste) products are available for
farmers to manage complex soil constraints. For example, up to 50% of domestic
waste are organic materials with other organic wastes including sewage sludge, food
wastes and industrial food processing wastes. To address soil fertility constraints,
increase crop yield and minimise environmental risks, there is an urgent need to
employ cost-effective, innovative technologies to develop novel slow-release
fertilisers and soil amendments to enhance the performance of soils. Recently in
Queensland, and indeed Australia, there has been increasing rhetoric throughout the
media on both the opportunities and risks posed by recycled and non-recycled
organic wastes being spread to farmland stimulated, in part, by the adoption of
more ‘plate to paddock’ approaches. During 2016–2017 in Queensland, a total of
4,363,000 tonnes of headline wastes was diverted from landfill disposal, an increase
of 7.9% from 2015 to 2016. Of this volume, approximately 626,000 tonnes of
segregated green waste was ‘recovered’ (through the use of composting techniques
8 Sustaining Queensland’s Agricultural Sector: Challenges and. . .
123