circular-economy-fnq

Who Owns Our Rubbish? The Quiet Money in Waste

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 01:37:05 GMT

Your Bin Is A Business

Every time you put out your bin, you're feeding a multi-billion-dollar industry. Much of that industry is owned by large international companies, and the newest technology being sold to our councils is designed and built overseas.

That money could stay in our communities. In Far North Queensland, we're supporting a way to make sure it does.

Follow The Money

Australians spent about $17 billion on waste collection, treatment and disposal services in 2018–19, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics . On top of that, state landfill levies raise an estimated $2.7 billion a year, but only about $1.2 billion of it goes back into waste and recycling ( Inside Waste ).

That's faster than our population grew ( ABC News ). Only 28% of household waste is recycled, and the state government itself calls Queenslanders the second-worst recyclers in the country.

In June 2026 the government released Less Landfill, More Recycling 2035 , its new 10-year Queensland Waste Strategy. It comes with $975 million over five years: $487 million for a Waste Reduction and Recycling Activation Fund, and $488 million in payments to councils to offset the levy on households. The targets that matter for us:

65% recycling statewide by 2035
50% less landfill in the major regional hubs: Cairns, Townsville and Mackay
Rural and remote areas: hold landfill at current levels
An $11 million Regional Recycling Transport Fund to move recyclables from regional areas to processing ( Queensland Government )

Levies vs Gate Fees: What You're Actually Paying For

When you or your council take waste to the tip, the bill can include two very different charges.

Inside the levy zone, the gate fee includes the levy. Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Douglas, Tablelands, Mareeba, Hinchinbrook and Townsville are all in Queensland's regional zone (levy zone map), so $100 of every tonne buried goes to the state. At Cassowary Coast's $428 a tonne, that's almost a quarter of the bill. In Cairns, commercial mixed waste jumped from $252 to $352 a tonne on 15 August 2026.

The state hands some of the levy back to councils so households don't feel it. In 2026–27, Cassowary Coast gets about $1.33 million and Cairns $753,329, rising to about $3.1 million the year after (Waste Reduction and Recycling Amendment Regulation 2026). But payments to major regional councils like Cairns are being cut back each year until they cover only 50%, matched to the new landfill target (Queensland Government factsheet). Every tonne Cairns can't divert will cost it more.

Here's the key point. The levy goes to government, but the gate fee is where the business is. Whoever owns the landfills, transfer stations and waste-to-energy plants collects gate fees on every tonne, often under contracts that run for decades.

Who's Cashing In

Some of the biggest names in Australian waste are headquartered overseas. When France's Veolia bought fellow French giant Suez, the competition regulator said the two were " two of the largest vertically integrated waste management companies in Australia " .

The deal touched more than 60 local markets. Some assets were sold to Germany's Remondis, and others to Australian-listed Cleanaway.

The same pattern shows up in waste-to-energy, the new frontier of waste money. Australia's first two big plants are in Perth:

Kwinana shows the risk. It was due to open in 2021. Construction was hit by COVID-19 and the building boom that followed, with labour and materials hard to get. The builder, Acciona, tried to walk away from the contract, but in November 2022 the WA Supreme Court refused to treat COVID-19 as a force majeure event . First waste wasn't delivered until July 2024. Meanwhile, the eight local councils it serves were waiting on a plant meant to handle about a quarter of Perth's leftover waste.

Now it's running, the claims have started. Premier Roger Cook said the plant will divert about 460,000 tonnes of waste a year, "cutting emissions equivalent to removing 85,000 cars from our roads".

But burning waste releases CO2 from the chimney. The "cars" figure rests on assumptions: that the waste would otherwise rot in landfill and release methane, and that the plant's electricity replaces coal power.

An independent analysis for a landfill-gas company found Kwinana's real savings were likely about 80% lower than claimed, and could disappear within a decade as the grid gets cleaner and more plastic ends up in the furnace. The plant's own commissioning report also admits "temporary exceedances" of emission limits while equipment was being tested.

None of this is illegal or secret. But it is quiet. Long contracts, overseas technology and offshore profits mean that when our communities pay to get rid of waste, much of the value leaves the region.

The Granny Flat In A Day Lesson

We've seen this story before with housing. Granny flats "in a day", prefabricated overseas and shipped in, promise a fast, cheap answer. But many arrive built to someone else's rules.

Engineers say imported modular buildings often fail Australian compliance . Some are designed for wind speeds of around 100 km/h, when parts of Australia need 120–150 km/h or more. Steel grades, footings and seismic design often don't meet Australian Standards. In Queensland, owners also need cyclone ratings, termite barriers, Australian electrical work and an engineer's certificate , and many engineers won't certify these products without upgrades. The "cheap" option ends up costly.

As one engineering firm put it: "Engineered overseas does not mean compliant in Australia."

Waste technology is no different. A system designed for Europe's cold, dense cities isn't automatically right for a cyclone-prone, tropical region with small towns spread far apart. It has to meet our environmental licensing, our standards and our conditions.

In a meeting with a Circular Economy representative of a council we heard the Prime Minister is keen to support Australian tech over imported.

Closer To Home: The Cairns Problem

Far North Queensland has its own version of this story. Five councils pay to send their waste to Cairns. For 20 years, much of it went through the Bedminster plant at Portsmith, which pulled compostable material out of general waste. In January 2025, a fire destroyed the plant . Investigators' first suspicion was a lithium battery.

Since then, about 125 tonnes of waste a day that used to be diverted now goes to landfill instead. And Cairns' general waste is trucked 70 kilometres up the Kuranda Range, through the World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics, to Mareeba's Springmount landfill.

Rather than for example Veola, the smaller of the waste management businesses in FNQ, having 6 trucks doing 3 trips a day, 6 days a week, if we processed that waste in each councils footprint, we won't have to drill through a mountain to put in a tunnel, we reduce the amount of trucks using the Kuranda range. REduce not REdesign.

Cairns' contract for its main waste facility was due to expire in 2026 , and the council is planning what comes next through its Resource Recovery 2040 roadmap. But the answer doesn't have to come from Cairns.

Every tonne a smaller council processes locally is a tonne it no longer pays to truck to Cairns. If the surrounding councils run their own microfactories, less waste goes to Cairns, the gate fees stay home, and the trucks stay off the range.

The state has paid to move our waste before.

Its earlier Regional Recycling Transport Assistance Package gave $6 million in grants of up to $250,000 to truck recyclables out of regional Queensland to be processed elsewhere.

It moved more than 80,000 tonnes. Far North councils shared in it: Cairns ($250,000), Northern Peninsula Area ($221,000), Douglas ($187,500), Cook ($105,677), Mareeba ($51,548) and Tablelands ($46,000). Tyres got money too: Mackay-based JMJ Tyre Recycling received $187,500 to move tyres to be recycled.

The new strategy brings it back as an $11 million Regional Recycling Transport Fund , part of the $487 million activation fund. It isn't open yet, and the rules haven't been released.

That leaves a big question: will it only pay to truck our recyclables hundreds of kilometres away, or will it also pay for the short trip to a microfactory down the road?

Our Answer: Keep The Value Local

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What makes it different:

Owned by the community. Members join the co-op, and it's one member, one vote.
The surplus stays here. 70% of the surplus stays with the co-op, shared among Participation (Class B) members and the community projects members vote for, such as affordable housing.
Built for our conditions. Every site works towards Queensland environmental licensing, and the technology is developed for regional, tropical North Queensland.
Small and spread out. Microfactories sit near existing transfer stations, so waste doesn't have to travel to a mega-plant hundreds of kilometres away. Decentralised solutions are a key strategy in the Circular Industrial Economy.
Councils as partners. Cassowary Coast Regional Council is partnering with the co-op on a pilot, setting a precedent for councils across the region.

The Hidden Value: Data

Waste isn't only worth money by the tonne. Knowing exactly what's in it, where it came from and where it went is worth money too, and right now that knowledge mostly sits with whoever runs the tip.

Climate and ESG reporting. Australia's largest companies now have to report their climate impact, and waste is part of it. Verified waste data helps them do it.
Product stewardship. Schemes like tyre stewardship rely on proof of what was collected and what it became.
Carbon credits. Credits are only as good as the measurements behind them.
Better planning. Councils that know their waste can plan collections and size facilities properly, instead of signing up for a plant that's too big.
Safety. Knowing how many lithium batteries end up in general waste matters. One is the suspected cause of the fire that destroyed Cairns' Bedminster plant.

In the co-op model, that data belongs to the community. Members and councils can see it, use it and benefit from it, measured against international circularity standards like ISO 59020.

The waste is ours. The value should be too.

Next-step Questions

Who owns the landfills and transfer stations in your council area, and how long are their contracts?
How much does your council pay in gate fees each year, and to whom?
How much of Queensland's levy actually comes back to recycling in the Far North, and why is Cairns' levy payment only $753,329 in 2026–27 when it's about $3.1 million the year after?
When the $11 million Regional Recycling Transport Fund opens, will it fund local processing in the Far North, or only freight to processors outside the region?
Cairns has to cut landfill by 50% by 2035, and Bedminster is gone. Where will those tonnes go, and who will be paid to take them?
When a council signs a 20-year waste deal, who carries the risk if the technology fails or is delayed?
Who checks that imported waste technology meets Australian standards for our climate before councils commit?
And for us: how will the co-op prove, in public reports, that the value really does stay local?

What You Can Do?

Learn about the technology we are supporting by attending an inperson night we also have some other people doing 15min knowledge bites around Financial Literacy as well as circular economy principles.
Join the NQ Regional Microfactory Co-operative as a founding member. Free Tyre Drop off (Class A) members get a vote now and access to the co-op's fuel from 2028, when fuel supply begins. Participation (Class B) members also share in the surplus, and Class B can be paid through PayPal in four instalments.
Back community-owned infrastructure if you're a business with a waste stream. Talk to us about how your waste can stay local.

Sources;

Queensland Government: Less Landfill, More Recycling 2035: Queensland Waste Strategy (June 2026) and strategy factsheet
Queensland Government: New fund to supercharge Less Landfill, More Recycling 2035 (27 July 2026)
ABC News: Queensland sets 65 per cent recycling target as waste outpaces population growth (17 June 2026)
Queensland Government: Levy rates and levy zone map
Waste Reduction and Recycling (Variation of Waste Levy) Amendment Regulation 2026 , Schedule 5 annual payments
Cassowary Coast Regional Council: Waste transfer station fees 2026–2027
Cairns Regional Council: Resource recovery fees and charges 2026/27
ACCC: Veolia's proposed acquisition of Suez not opposed, subject to divestitures (21 December 2021)
Wikipedia: Kwinana Energy Recovery
Veolia: East Rockingham Resource Recovery Facility
Archieng: Why imported modular and prefab buildings fail Australian compliance
Approvable: Imported a container home or granny flat from overseas? Don't install it in Queensland before reading this
Queensland Government: Regional Recycling Transport Assistance Package and Funding and gr ants

Don't Bite the Hand That Fuels You - Fossil Fuel Subsidies

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 02:39:51 GMT

Who Is Our Energy Policy Really Serving?

Australia keeps saying yes to new coal and gas while asking its Pacific neighbours to trust it on climate. Those two things don't sit together, and our neighbours have noticed.

The old saying is "don't bite the hand that feeds you." In Australia's energy politics, the rule seems to be don't bite the hand that fuels you . Our biggest gas buyers and investors, led by Japan, shape what Canberra and the states will and won't do. The cost of that loyalty is paid in the Pacific, on the Reef, and in our kids' future.

From Far North Queensland, we live with the Reef on one side and the Pacific on the other. That's why Circular Economy FNQ is asking a simple question: who is our energy policy really serving?

Fossil Fuels Subsidies At Home: Two States, Same Direction

On 30 September 2026, the NSW Independent Planning Commission approved the biggest coal project in the state's history. Glencore and Yancoal's Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project can now dig about 430 million tonnes of coal into the 2040s.

The Climate Council puts the climate cost at more than 800 million tonnes of pollution. Only 15.1 million tonnes of that happens at the mine. The other 793.8 million tonnes is released when the coal is burned, mostly overseas. The project still needs federal approval under the EPBC Act, so Canberra gets the final say.

Queensland is heading the same way. In March 2026, the Crisafulli Government approved Glencore's Hail Creek expansion, adding 29 million tonnes of coal and clearing 600 hectares of "nationally significant" koala habitat next to Homevale National Park. Different premiers, different parties, same answer: more coal.

Queensland: fossil-fuelled AI, with an Olympics to sell

Queensland is going further than any other state in insisting it can power AI data centres with coal and gas. The federal government wants new data centres to pay for new renewable energy , not coal or gas. Premier Crisafulli wants it "technology-agnostic".

After national cabinet in August 2026, Crisafulli said he was "very, very firm on making sure that we got a carve-out" and claimed he got one . Energy Minister Chris Bowen says neither Queensland nor the Northern Territory did. Either way, Queensland is the state publicly fighting for fossil-fuelled AI.

The stakes are huge. The 1.44 GW Western Downs Digital Park near Dalby, which AI company Anthropic has signed a $32 billion deal to use, will run on a mix of gas, renewables and batteries.

The Climate Council says this one facility could use three times more power than Brisbane's 1.4 million residents.

Now look six years ahead. Brisbane hosts the 2032 Olympics. Queensland's Destination 2045 tourism plan promises 45 new eco-tourism experiences and aims to double visitor spending to $84 billion a year.

By 2032, regenerative tourism should be in full swing, and the world will be watching.

You can't sell the world regenerative tourism while approving new coal, gas and fossil-fuelled data centres. It's an oxymoron. The Games have already quietly lowered the bar: in 2024 the host contract was changed so Brisbane 2032 is no longer legally bound to be "climate positive" . It's now just an aim. If we keep going this way, Australia risks egg on its face in front of a global audience.

 Hard next-step questions

Did Queensland get a data centre carve-out or not? Ask for the national cabinet record.
How much gas will Western Downs burn each year, and who pays for the new supply?
Who decided to drop "climate positive" from the Olympic host contract, and who signed it?
How will Destination 2045 measure "eco-tourism" against the emissions of new fossil fuel projects?

Our Taxes Are Paying Them To Do It

Australian governments now hand fossil fuel producers and big users $16.3 billion a year. That's up from $11.1 billion just three years earlier, according to The Australia Institute's annual audits.

The biggest single item is the federal Fuel Tax Credit Scheme, at $10.8 billion in 2025–26. Subsidies are now growing faster than the NDIS . Figures: 2026 report, 2025 report, 2024 report.

Put simply, that's about $5 billion more a year than three years ago. Imagine that money going into regional renewables, repair hubs, or getting kids out on Country learning science.

The View From The Pacific

The Hunter Valley approval landed days before Australia led pre-COP31 talks in Fiji, and Pacific leaders said so out loud. Vanuatu's Climate Minister Ralph Regenvanu called it "the wrong signal at a critical time" and asked the Prime Minister to reflect on "the trust we need" heading into COP31. Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo described fossil fuel expansion as a "death sentence" for his nation.

Australia wants to be the Pacific's "partner of choice". It funds adaptation and renewables, and it is pushing security deals across the region. But every new coal and gas approval undercuts that pitch. At the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, leaders backed a goal of 100% renewables by 2035, while our exports remained a source of "quiet frustration".

That's the opening China is waiting for. To be fair, Pacific nations have so far largely rebuffed Beijing's security and trade proposals. Some leaders also bristle at being told who to criticise: when Palau pushed to condemn China's July missile test near Tuvalu's waters, Kiribati and Nauru blocked the statement. So the Pacific isn't simply choosing China. But trust is the currency of the region, and Australia is spending it on coal & Rugby - $600million a year when the locals don't even want it over hospitals and other services.

Every time we say "we're family" and then approve another mine, we make Beijing's pitch easier.

The Hand That Fuels Us: Japan, The Beetaloo And The Gas Tax

This is where the saying bites. Japan is one of Australia's biggest gas customers and a major investor in our gas fields, and that relationship sets the limits of what our governments will do.

In March 2026, Japan's largest oil and gas company, INPEX, signed a farm-in deal in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin. Its aim is to feed fracked gas into its Ichthys LNG export plant in Darwin. Beetaloo gas began flowing into the NT grid on 1 September 2026.

Meanwhile, a proposed 25% tax on LNG exports has been gathering support. The Australia Institute estimates it would raise about $17 billion a year. Over the past five years Japan collected almost $40 billion in taxes on gas and coal imports, while Australia raised $7 billion from its petroleum resource rent tax. And Japan resold more than twice as much gas in 2024 as Australians used at home.

So who argued against the tax?

A June 2026 analysis found most fossil fuel companies opposing it cited Japan's energy security, not Australia's. In the May budget, Treasurer Jim Chalmers declined to go further , saying there were "good reasons to prioritise fuel supply and gas reservation".

No one in Canberra will say "we can't upset Japan." But when the industry's main argument is another country's energy security, and Australia imports most of its own liquid fuel, the message is clear: don't bite the hand that fuels you. Japan is also our biggest Green Hydrogen client and SA has just had an environmental disaster that SA refuses to call around the 4 largest desalination plants in the region.

Saying No, And Building Something Better

A 25% gas export tax would make Australia a less appealing place to explore for new gas. That's exactly why we support it. Our neighbours, our Reef and our kids need us to say no to new fossil fuel exploration.

But saying no is only half the answer.

Regional communities also need a new source of income, one that stays here instead of flowing offshore.

That's why we back the NQ Regional Microfactory Co-operative's waste-to-energy solution. It turns local waste into local energy, keeps overheads to a minimum, and returns 70% of its surplus to co-op members.

The Australians who choose to support it are the ones who benefit.

And it's already starting. Cassowary Coast Regional Council is setting the precedent by partnering with the co-op on a pilot here in our region.

What you can do:

Tell your federal MP the Hunter Valley project still needs federal approval , and that you want it refused.
Back a fair 25% tax on gas exports.
Find out how to become a member of the NQ Regional Microfactory Co-operative.
Spam Cristafulli

The hand that fuels us today won't feed our kids tomorrow. Let's build the one that will.

Sources

Climate Council: Hunter Valley Operations — what happens now NSW has approved its biggest-ever coal project

InDaily Queensland: Crisafulli govt approves habitat-clearing coal mine expansion (13 March 2026)

The Australia Institute: Fossil fuel subsidies in Australia 2026, 2025, 2024

PINA: Pacific leaders slam NSW government coal mine decision ahead of UN climate summit (2 October 2026)

ABC News: Pacific leaders challenge Australia's fossil fuel expansion ahead of pre-COP31 talks in Fiji (5 October 2026)

ABC News: Security, climate change and drugs on agenda at Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting (31 August 2026)

Market Forces: Beetaloo — fracking the heart out of Australia

ABC News: Fracked gas from Beetaloo Basin flowing to NT power grid (1 September 2026)

Macquarie University Lighthouse: Push for 25% gas export tax intensifies as inquiry hears billions are being lost (April 2026)

The Point: Japan on-sells almost twice as much gas as Australians consume

Carbon Pulse: Australian gas industry invokes Japan's energy security to fight proposed LNG export tax (21 June 2026, paywalled)

ABC News: Chalmers reveals gas tax revenue is up in federal budget (10 May 2026)

Added for Queensland, AI and the Olympics

ABC News: Albanese to settle AI data centre energy rules, overriding defiant Queensland (24 August 2026)
RenewEconomy: Queensland insists it will power data centres with coal and gas (September 2026)
InDaily Queensland: Green light for billion-watt data centre in SEQ (17 September 2026)
ABC News: Queensland government unveils long-term tourism strategy Destination 2045 (2 June 2025)
The Fifth Estate / The Conversation: Brisbane 2032 is no longer legally bound to be 'climate positive'

Launching Your (Citizen) Journalism Career

Everything in this blog came from public records, published research and reporting. You can find it too. We want more citizen researchers in FNQ asking hard questions, checking the answers, and publishing what they find.

The rest of this post is your starter kit: who's pushing for fracking, how government props it up, who's pushing back, and the tools and questions to dig further. #bettertogether

Our feedback loop: The Australia Institute. The Australia Institute is one of the country's most formidable independent research bodies on fossil fuel subsidies and gas tax. Use its reports to check your numbers and sharpen your questions. Then do what good researchers always do: ask the next, harder question.

Our one rule: always ask the hard next-step question. Every section below ends with some to start you off.

Who Is Pushing For Fracking, And Where

The biggest fracking push is in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin, but it isn't the only one.

Hard Next-Step Questions

What is in the NT's secret Beetaloo gas contract, and what does it cost taxpayers?
Who holds the pre-2023 Channel Country leases that dodge Queensland's fracking ban?
Did Traditional Owners give free, prior and informed consent, and who decided what counts as consent?

Support Beyond Policy: How Taxpayers Back Gas

Gas companies wouldn't explore frontier basins without government support. Beyond the $16.3 billion a year in subsidies covered above, that support takes several forms.

Drilling grants. The Morrison government's $50 million Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program paid up to $7.5 million per well. Imperial Oil and Gas alone was offered up to $21 million for three wells.
Infrastructure. The Albanese government committed $1.5 billion to the Middle Arm precinct in Darwin Harbour, planned to process Beetaloo gas for export. A Senate inquiry couldn't agree on its recommendations.
Feasibility money. Lock the Gate reports $5 million in public subsidies has already gone to Blue Energy's feasibility study in Queensland.
Secret contracts. Governments buying gas on terms the public can't see, as with the NT's Beetaloo deal.
Low tax take. Treasury officials confirmed to Senator David Pocock that offshore gas tax is expected to raise less than the tax on beer .

Hard next-step questions

Which Beetaloo grant recipients actually drilled, and what did each well cost the public?
How much of Middle Arm's $1.5 billion has been spent, and on what?
Check The Australia Institute's subsidy reports: which of these items do they count, and which are missing from the total?

Who Is Bucking The Norm

While both major parties back more gas, a crossbench of independents and Greens is forcing the questions into the open.

Senator David Pocock (Independent, ACT). He asked Treasury to confirm that offshore gas tax would raise less than beer tax. The 57-second clip on Instagram reached nearly 10 million views , and he argued for a 25% gas export tax . He votes issue by issue, and he isn't afraid to call out the Greens either. That's why we like him.
Senator Steph Hodgins-May (Greens, Vic). She chairs the Senate Select Committee on the Taxation of Gas Resources , set up by the Greens and independents in March 2026.
Senator David Shoebridge (Greens, NSW). He became Greens leader on 30 September 2026 after Larissa Waters stepped down, promising "a red-hot fight" for a safe climate.
Others in the crossbench. Independents opposed the Middle Arm gas hub in the Senate inquiry . Find out who your own MP and senators are, and check how they voted.

Follow The Conversation On TikTok and Instagram

Search each politician's name on TikTok and Instagram. Only follow accounts linked from their official website or parliamentary profile, to avoid fakes.
Open the comments and the "stitches" and "duets" on their videos. That's where you'll find other researchers, journalists and industry voices.
Follow those threads to their sources. Every claim in a video should lead back to a document, report or Hansard record.
Save links as you go, with the date. Videos get deleted.

Hard Next-Step Questions

How did each crossbencher vote on gas tax, Middle Arm and new fossil fuel projects? Words are cheap; votes are on the record.
Who funded the multi-million-dollar gas industry counter-campaign to Pocock's video?
What would it take for the major parties to support a gas export tax?

Your Investigative Toolkit

These free public tools are where investigative journalists start.

Habits Of A Good Investigator

Follow the money. Grants, donations, contracts and tax. Money leaves a paper trail.
Go to the primary source. A news story or TikTok is a lead, not evidence. Find the report, Hansard page or contract.
Confirm with two independent sources before you publish a fact.
Keep a research log: what you found, where, and the date.
Separate fact from opinion. Say clearly which is which.
Give a right of reply. Ask the company or politician for comment before you publish.
Be careful with claims about people. Stick to what the record shows, to stay fair and avoid defamation.
Check your feedback loop. Test your findings against The Australia Institute's research, and test theirs too.

The Questions Every Investigator Should Ask

Who benefits, and who pays?
Who decided, and when?
What is being kept secret, and why?
What did they promise, and what did they do?
Who hasn't been asked, especially Traditional Owners and affected communities?
What's the next document I need to see?

Get Published With Us

Circular Economy FNQ wants to publish independent research from citizen researchers. Your work can reach councils, schools, researchers and decision-makers in rooms where it counts. We are having more inperson events where doing a short 10min talk with following community discussion is part of our new How We Do Things with the NQ Regional Co-Operative.

To pitch your research:

Pick one question from this post, or your own.
Do the digging with the toolkit above, and keep your research log.
Send us a short pitch: your question, what you found, and your main sources.
Work with our editors to check the facts and prepare it for publishing.

Students are especially welcome. Your research career can start here. #bettertogether

Added for the research starter kit

ABC News: Gas vs beer: how David Pocock's 57-second video caused the government a weeks-long tax headache (2 May 2026)
ABC News: David Pocock argues for 25% tax on gas exports (21 April 2026)
ESD News: Greens and independents secure Select Committee on gas ta x
Newsbeep: New Greens leader David Shoebridge (30 September 2026)
ABC News: Beetaloo Basin gas piped north to 'keep the lights on' in NT (9 December 2025)
ABC News: WA regulator recommends Valhalla gas project in Kimberley (20 January 2026)
Lock the Gate: Fracking company's northern scramble
ABC News: Fracking ban takes effect in Queensland's Channel Country (4 August 2024)
Minister for Resources (2021): Grants to help speed up Beetaloo drilling program
The Conversation: Inquiry raises deep concerns over Labor's $1.5 billion cash splash for new NT gas hub

How Politicians Cause The Downfall Of Societies

irene@circulareconomyfnq.org.au (Irene Portelli) — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 04:31:43 GMT

We Need To Talk About The 16 Lobbyists Per Politician In Canberra

Across history, collapses are rarely caused by one person, even though Epstein has made a big impact in our lifetime, he didn't act alone.

They usually emerge from systemic failures + power concentration + poor feedback loops .

Below are key historical case studies and the patterns they reveal.

Political Patterns That Contributed to Decline:

Corruption in the Senate [DOJ, Canberra - Prime Ministers who invite a war criminal and then give them red carpet treatment under the guise of anti-semitism]
Emperors consolidating absolute power [Trump, Musk, Netty, Epstein]
Military loyalty to generals rather than the state [ICE Agents, State Police in some countries �� and IDF soldiers]
Currency debasement to cover deficits [petro dollar being replaced by gold and silver]
Overexpansion beyond governance capacity [Greenland]

System failure lesson:
When leadership weakens institutions and removes accountability, the system becomes fragile. Rome didn’t fall in a day — it hollowed out over centuries.

And our Century is from it seems WWII and it is based around Eugenics - superior race, child trafficking and lobbyists workign their way through the backrooms of all governments, not just ours.

We are living through our own Systems Collapse and it is centred around Israel and it's web that it has built through human trafficking and ethnic cleansing while making inroads in not only our government.

As the information is coming thick and fast with the Epstein Files being released there is one thing that is for sure, no country is immune from the lobbying that that man did with his cluster of islands and his wealth.

The money he made was based on bribery and it is those millions that he used to buy politicians and powerful people over his time.
Michael Jackson was framed, he was actually protecting the children in Neverland. That bit of information over the past week literally broke us. Someone who had lived through DV abuse and had been seen as a pawn for his wealth was also witnessing the poweful using children to stay young.

When I first started writing this it was about the Kill Ai they are trialling in Palestine with Israel Military using Google and Amazon behavioural science data in drones to bomb and shoot known people of interest. Including Reporters which they have been actively targeted.

Everything we are discussing here has already been reported by News and Researchers, the curation of TikTok and YouTube videos are in this post to supply their first hand reporting based on their own research. Palantir stocks are plummeting because we the people are waking up & voting with our dollar.

Then Bob Carr talks about how Israeli Lobbyists under AIPAC in America = pro Israel - AIJAC - Australian and Israeli Jewish Affairs Council, is Australias version of the lobbyist, work both here and in the US political system and then our Prime Minister goes and not only invites but gives a war criminal Isaac Hertzog the Head of State of Israel who allegedly kissed the bombs they dropped on children in Gaza.

We need data sovereignty YESTERDAY!!!

We have had IDF soldiers come to Australia ahead of the Israel Head of States visit. The man that allegedly kissed and signed the bombs that have killed over 17000 children. Where statistically head shots of children are what is being reported by the Medicins San Frans in Gaza. Netty has spoken clearly about his plans for Israel.

We are on the cusp of ecological collapse and rather than uniting us our Politicians are actively dividing us.

Pauline Hanson is allegedly taking money from the NRA, partied in Mara Lago with Dutton, Gina and Trump post his election win. Prior to this open display of facisim 60% of Australians didn't trust our government and seeing how Albanese just did what Bob Carr would happen, then we know that the Epstein Files has something on just about everyone of power on the planet with findings that the Monarchy will collapse and so will the US Government.

The videos below are all from TikTok content creators who do exactly what I learnt in my BA of Internet Communications said would happen in times like this and in peaceful time, moments of collective intelligence. The Epstein Files is about pedophillic behaviour of powerful men and women. There are UAE Princes and other royalty. There are academics. If you hold a position of power and trust me, academia is a position of power, then you have most likely been a part of Epsteins impact to control and manipulate as a Mossad agent. Allegedly.

60% Of Australians Do Not Trust Government

When The Townsquare Is Used For Election Fraud

China is painting itself as a hero by showing it's low medical costs. Low food prices but underneath Super Trawlers and slavery.

We do not need any superpower but China has been positioning itself to be one around critical minerals, not the petrodollar which is what Trump is still going for.

Greenland Is About Shipping!!

This part matters because this how Super Powers, even though America is the last of them and China is trying to play the good guy on their way to becoming the next one under BRICS. Each of these countries do not belong as any super power which is why the EU is setting up their own frameworks making a new economy while bring the East more into the mix. Something Australia should have done ages ago.

For those of us who care about nature, #climatechange is a concern but for Russia and China its about a food bowl out of Serbia for Russia and being on the edge of a new trade route that will cut thousands of ks off freight and opening up Greenland for mining of previous minerals and fossil fuels, but the cost to access this is easy to disrupt with waste to energy innovations by flooding the market with lower cost fuels and precious minerals.

Which is why e-waste innovation is what we are focused on in our Circular Industrial Economy Transition Hub in Cairns.

It has a high transport footprint because it has a value that allows us to ship the high amount of e-waste we produce in FNQ due to 1 year warranties. Whereas a policy that would make it so that the waste is to be produced in place then that is one way that the local community can see that the products we buy that don't last are low cost to mine and we are better off building service industries around better quality tech.

That is also a part of the e-waste innovation education in our Hub. Who's profits go directly into community.

It does not pass into governments hands.

Because as we have seen with the $469million Social Housing White Elephant at Woree where a member of local government gave the tender outside of local content, like our Mountain Bike Track project and that has lost precious social housing in our region.

When people are hungry and poor Facism rises. But growing community is how we bring people back together with a lower cost of living, more libraries of goods and collective intelligence.

LNP > Katter Party > One Nation

Famous for all the wrong reasons.

Content creators globally and especially in the US have said to be wary of him.

So Let's Talk Socialist Party

Redefining and reorientation of the classist society we have to make it a more Star Trek-ish society.

We've never really had Communism.

Communist Parties have existed - China and Cuba.

But Communism has never been achieved.

So let's talk about it. Do your own research, this is a nation wide Socialist Party.

Mamdani, the NY Mayor, won his seat with the support of the American Parents Socialist Party.

Boy did they deliver.

Want to talk to us further about our topics, join us on our private community that you can access through our major sponsors website via purchasing a Tshirt.

The new social media Upscrolled developed by an Australian Palestinian innovator is growing fast and we will be moving our content over to that platform.

Because Meta, Google and X are all part of the data that has been used in Genocide and that doesn't sit right with us.

These social buttons will be slowly disappearing.

What A Tiny House Village Could Look Like In Cairns

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 07:38:53 GMT

�� Designing a Better Way to Live Small: A 16-Home Off-Grid Tiny House Village for Far North Queensland

There are no rental caps in QLD and we have a 70k a year shortage so the next thing to do is build smaller houses.

But normal builders can't build anything less than a 4brm because the building codes as they are = a lot of waste = that's why Builders go bankrupt if there is any big changes to building supplies, which is what has happened since COVID.

So. Let's think outside the box.

Let's look at how we can get Tiny House Communities developed in FNQ. Inside the Emerging Communities Zoning and under the Relocatable Home Park definition.

Tiny House Owners Make The Best Tenants - Homeowner and Tenant

Tiny house living solves a lot of problems — affordability, sustainability, a smaller footprint. But as I've written about before, it also comes with a real risk: finding land. Too many people end up in informal, one-off arrangements with private landowners, with no shared standard for what a fair, well-run site actually looks like.

So what does a properly planned tiny house community look like? Here's a concept Circular Economy FNQ has been developing for the Mt Peter–Edmonton growth corridor south of Cairns — a 16-home off-grid tiny house village designed the way planners actually want to see this kind of development done

Not a Caravan Park — A Village

The instinct with tiny house sites is often to line homes up in rows like a caravan park. Planners don't love that look, and neither do residents. This design takes a different approach: four clusters of four homes , each built around shared garden space, with homes facing inward toward the gardens rather than out toward the road. It creates a genuine neighbourhood feeling while still giving people privacy — and it avoids the "caravan park look" that makes council approval harder.

At the centre of the village sits a communal zone — a pavilion, outdoor kitchen, laundry, tool storage, meeting space, and shared water tanks. This is the social heart of the community, the place people naturally gather.

A single gravel loop road ties it together: no dead ends, low traffic speed, and easy emergency vehicle access — deliberately simple, because simple is what gets approved.

Off-Grid by Design

Each Tiny House on Wheels (THOW) brings its own infrastructure: a solar power system in the 10–15kW range, battery storage, rainwater collection, a composting toilet, and greywater reuse. Because each home is largely self-contained, the village as a whole needs very little central infrastructure — no expensive grid upgrades, no large-scale water or sewage works. The homes themselves do most of the heavy lifting.

Greywater doesn't go to waste either — it's directed into banana circles, infiltration trenches, and food forest irrigation between the clusters, feeding directly into the permaculture system.

A Village That Grows Its Own Food

This is where the concept goes beyond housing. The landscape is designed as a working food system:

Food forest : mango, citrus, banana, jackfruit
Community gardens : raised beds, herbs, seasonal vegetables
Composting systems : turning food scraps and garden waste back into soil

Over time, the site can provide a meaningful share of residents' own fresh produce — and because people are actually living on-site and maintaining it (contributing food scraps, greywater, and composting toilet by-products), the gardens stay productive in a way that a council-run community garden never quite manages. It also becomes a place of learning: a spot where people who hit a wall with composting or a home garden of their own can get hands-on, informal support from neighbours who've already solved the same problem.

The Numbers

For 16 homes, the recommended land size sits around 2.5 acres — room enough for fire buffers, vegetation retention, water systems, and garden zones without feeling cramped.

Because residents bring their own homes, the capital needed to establish the village is modest. The main costs are site preparation, the internal access road, the communal pavilion, basic water systems, and landscaping — a fraction of what a conventional housing subdivision requires.

On the revenue side, with 16 pad sites leased at an estimated $250–$300 per week, projected annual revenue sits in the $208,000–$250,000 range — before counting additional income from workshops, eco-tourism experiences, permaculture training, or produce sales.

An Opportunity for Landowners

This model isn't a fit for just any rural block. It's built for land within emerging and developing communities — areas where a relocatable home park land use distinction already applies, or where a land use change to support one is realistically achievable. That's what makes the planning pathway workable, rather than an uphill battle against zoning designed for a different purpose. For landowners in that position, two structures make it possible to activate the land without giving up ownership:

Land lease model : the landowner leases a defined portion (say, 5–10 acres) to an operator who develops and manages the village, in exchange for either fixed annual lease income or a share of village revenue.
Joint venture model : the landowner contributes the land, the operator contributes development capital and management, and revenue is shared between both parties — letting the landowner earn income now while keeping long-term development options open.

Where the Funding Could Come From

Both of those models need capital and a credible backer — and that's where the NQ Regional Microfactory Cooperative comes in, not as the village operator itself, but as a funding pathway. The co-op is built on a cooperative model already being used for a regional Waste-to-Energy pilot — turning waste streams like tyres into local jobs and reinvested surplus for the community.

That surplus is the connection: surplus from the Waste-to-Energy pilot could help fund the development of a tiny house village in the region, alongside the other community projects the co-op already directs its surplus toward. It's a way of keeping the economics regional and circular — waste processed locally in one part of the system helping fund affordable housing in another, rather than either project needing to stand entirely on its own.

Navigating the Legal and Regulatory Pathway

None of this works if the village can be shut down on a technicality, so the legal structure matters as much as the design. There are a few tools available here worth understanding.

The Community Titles Scheme (CTS) option. Rather than operating as an informal caravan park, the co-op can establish the village as a Community Titles Scheme under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 . This matters because local council rules — such as the Tablelands Regional Council's Local Law No. 6, which caps standard caravan park stays at 12 weeks — typically carve out an explicit exemption for properties operating under a CTS. Structured this way, the long-term nature of the village isn't at odds with rules written for short-stay caravan parks.

A CTS also brings a Body Corporate into the picture, which acts as a genuine legal buffer for the co-op and its members: it's a separate legal entity that can sue and be sued over common property like the shared gardens and off-grid infrastructure; committee members are protected from civil liability for decisions made in good faith and without negligence; and the scheme is required to carry comprehensive insurance, which further limits financial and legal exposure for everyone involved.

The Manufactured Homes Act pathway. If the co-op instead runs the village under the CairnsPlan's "Relocatable home park" zoning rather than a CTS, it takes on the legal status of a "park owner" under the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Act 2003 . That comes with real obligations — giving prospective home owners proper disclosure and comparison documents before they sign a site agreement, and steering well clear of the fraudulent, misleading, unconscionable, or harassing conduct the Act penalises heavily. Building the village as a trauma-informed, democratic community from the outset isn't just values-driven — it's exactly what keeps the co-op clear of the practices the Act was written to catch. Disputes and terminations also have to run through the state tribunal system rather than being handled informally, which protects residents from arbitrary eviction.

Managing the neighbours' concerns. Placing infrastructure like a microfactory or associated logistics next to residential uses can trigger council pushback over "sensitive land uses" under the CairnsPlan. The way to get ahead of that is proactive: a site-specific Environmental Management Plan and Traffic Management Plan, formally documenting how noise, dust, odour, light, and vehicle movements will be managed. Doing that work upfront gives council a clear basis to approve the development rather than a reason to knock it back.

Put together, these aren't loopholes — they're the difference between a village that's one council complaint away from closure, and one built on a legal foundation strong enough to last.

Cyclone Resilience, Solved Simply

Far North Queensland means cyclone season, and any tiny house community here has to answer that question honestly. One landowner we've visited has already found a genuinely clever solution: a C2-rated cyclone shed large enough to shelter seven tiny homes inside it during a cyclone event.

It's a simple idea done well — rather than each tiny house needing its own cyclone-rated tie-downs and structural upgrades, or residents needing to evacuate entirely, the homes themselves can be towed into a shared, engineered shelter built to withstand the kind of wind loads a standalone THOW never could. It turns a village-wide vulnerability into a single piece of shared infrastructure — exactly the kind of practical, community-scale thinking this whole model is built around.

Room to Grow

The model is designed to scale in stages:

Stage 1 — 16-home off-grid tiny house village
Stage 2 — 30 homes, with an expanded food forest
Stage 3 — a larger eco-village, integrated with whatever the land's long-term future holds

Because the homes themselves are movable, the village isn't locked in — it can adapt as the surrounding Mt Peter region continues to grow and change.

Why It Works

What makes this model powerful is what it combines: off-grid housing, resident-owned homes, regenerative agriculture, and minimal upfront infrastructure. That combination brings both the financial risk and the environmental footprint right down — while still reading, to planners and the community alike, as organised, considered development rather than informal camping.

Done properly, a village like this could be one of the first of its kind in Far North Queensland — a real template for affordable, sustainable, community-oriented tiny house living, built the right way from the ground up.

Systems Collapse reDistributes Power & That Is A Good Thing

irene@circulareconomyfnq.org.au (Irene Portelli) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:12:25 GMT

Beyond Nostalgia; Solidarity Politics For An Era Of Collapse

This is from an interview I heard on ABC Radio, can't remember the Show but I let ChatGTP dilute what they were saying about as we let the shitshow unravel from the viewpoint of a climatologist; systems collapse in nature, systems collapse in geopolitics.

How this decade really Australia as an Annex 1 Country could deliver on their responsibility as the wealthiest nation, until Africa overtakes us, in the Global South. If you don't know what is happening in Birkina Faso, in a nutshell it has kicked France out in 2024 and in 1 year it has recouped $17billion in Gold revenue.

Gold is quickly taking over from the petrodollar [especially as the Fossil Fuels are becoming more and more expensive to mine] - from Oil reserves, as a countries asset backing up say America's, trillions of dollars in debt.

This was it's closing invitation but I am asking it first.

What would it look like to stop asking how to save the system - and start asking how to take care of each other as it changes?

Across the world, politics is increasingly shaped by nostalgia. “Take back control.” “Make the nation great again.”

The problem is not human nature.
The problem is a system that trained us into extraction, speed, competition, and obedience.

The Silence Around Collapse

For decades, people working in environmental science, activism, and policy have warned about accelerating ecological breakdown. Many have worked diligently, ethically, and tirelessly.

And yet, despite carbon markets, sustainability frameworks, international agreements, and endless education campaigns, emissions continue to rise, ecosystems continue to degrade, and inequality continues to deepen. From an economic standpoint it is this that is the most dangerous.

When these tools fail, despair creeps in. And despair, when left unacknowledged, often curdles into control.

This is where an authoritarian impulse emerges within parts of the environmental movement. Not overtly, but subtly: through censorship, deplatforming, narrative policing, and the insistence that certain conclusions must not be drawn—because they might make people lose hope, lose trust, or lose obedience.

The message becomes: calm down, don’t panic, don’t disrupt, don’t revolt.

But calmness imposed in the face of lived reality is not reassurance—it is denial.

People are not anxious because they misunderstand climate data. They are anxious because they can see systems failing around them: housing, food security, energy, governance, social cohesion. Suppressing analysis that names collapse does not protect the public. It protects power.

Collapse Is Not A Moral Failure Of Humanity

Why Collapse Opens Political Space

There is a quiet truth many institutions will not say out loud: collapse redistributes power.

Highly unequal systems depend on stability to maintain legitimacy.

When crises multiply—climate, energy, housing, finance, health—the narrative that “there is no alternative” begins to fracture.

What once felt immovable becomes negotiable. What once seemed inevitable becomes questionable.

This is not good news in a simplistic sense. Collapse is painful, frightening, and unjust. But it does create openings: for local agency, mutual aid, new forms of governance, and solidaristic ways of living that were previously dismissed as unrealistic or radical.

The real danger is not collapse itself, but leaving the interpretation of collapse to nostalgia politicians and strongmen.

From Progress Politics To Solidarity Politics

CEFNQ does not advocate despair, nor do we advocate violent revolt.

What we advocate is honesty—and solidarity.

A solidarity-based politics for an era of collapse begins with several shifts:

From control to care
From growth to enough
From individual blame to systemic responsibility
From false optimism to shared grief and shared action

This kind of politics does not promise a return to a golden age, nor does it promise salvation through technology or markets alone.

Instead, it asks harder, more human questions:

How do we reduce harm?

How do we adapt together?

What must we let go of?

What do we restore?

And who do we need to reconcile with—each other, the land, future generations, and our own mortality?

The Four Pathways Through Collapse

In this context, the “four R’s” offer not a blueprint, but a language for dialogue:

Resilience: What do we most value that must be protected—relationships, knowledge, ecosystems, #sdg14|15 community trust?

Relinquishment: What systems, habits, and assumptions must we release because trying to preserve them will deepen harm?

Restoration: What older or marginalised practices—especially Indigenous, communal, and place-based knowledge—can be brought forward, not as nostalgia, but as living wisdom?

Reconciliation: What losses must we acknowledge? What truths must we face? Who and what do we need to make peace with as we navigate limits?

These questions are not comfortable. They are not easily monetised. And they do not fit neatly into election cycles. That is precisely why they matter.

Choosing solidarity over silence

The greatest risk we face is not that people will panic if they hear the truth.

The risk is that they will be infantilised, silenced, and pushed toward authoritarian answers because no one offered them a way to face reality together.

Solidarity is not weakness.

It is a survival strategy.

It means refusing both the false comfort of nostalgia and the false safety of technocratic denial.

It means allowing grief without letting it turn into misanthropy.

It means naming power without scapegoating ordinary people.

And it means building local, regenerative systems—not because they are trendy, but because they are necessary.

Collapse does not absolve us of responsibility. It clarifies it.

Comments Prompt: Solidarity Politics In An Era Of Collapse

If we accept that multiple systems are already in decline, what does a solidarity-based politics look like—beyond nostalgia, beyond authoritarianism, and beyond false optimism?

Discussion questions:

Why do nostalgia-based political movements resonate so strongly during periods of crisis and decline?
How has the refusal to talk honestly about collapse shaped public trust in institutions?
Where do we see authoritarian impulses emerging within environmental or progressive movements—and why?
What does solidarity mean in practical terms at the community, regional, and economic level?
How can grief, despair, and fear be acknowledged without tipping into paralysis or control?
What should we be actively relinquishing as systems strain—and who gets to decide?
How can Indigenous knowledge and place-based stewardship inform adaptation without being tokenised?
What responsibilities do we hold to future generations in a world of limits?

How Geckos Contribute To Shorten The Lifespan Of Air Conditioners In FNQ

irene@circulareconomyfnq.org.au (Irene Portelli) — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 02:09:14 GMT

Air Conditioners Make Great Homes In Winter

So there are two critical things you can do to prevent this.

There is a button outside that gives the power directly to your Air Conditioning Unit, turn that off in Winter.

Then before you turn the inside unit on, just tap it to get rid of the nest geckos in there and then you are good to go.

The motherboard on the inside is always receiving current even when it is ON so take away the comfort factor.

So that is why Geckos find this the best nesting space in Winter. It's like a fire place to them.

So hopefully this little tip of how to live with an air conditioner and geckos in the tropics and not have to make a claim on your 5 month old air conditioner because geckos are not in your warranty plan. You are at the whim of a generous brand but even then they have to be able to recycle that e-waste and that is still getting to commercial stage.

Things are happening, we have been in some interesting rooms.

We will keep you posted as things progress both here and in our Resources tab.

How To Gecko Proof Your Air Conditioner

Learning Circular Principles From Nature

Go Watch Bill Gates Green Nuclear Innovation Ep3

It is just post the Queensland Election of 2024 and the Liberal Party have 8 years at best to deliver a Net 0 Runway in Northern Australia where there is waste data gaps in this space.

This can really be a design brief for our STEM students on how to keep Geckos out of the main brand design Air Conditioners, Product Designers are going to be like the Web Designer boom that we had in the past decade.

Net 0 = reusing, servicing, designing out, processing in place, refuse, reduce, redesign in a nutshell.

Even when you buy a good product if you are living close to nature, which we want to do even moreso then we need to develop clever ways to design the messy overlap between animal and human because our fear of it has made us kill 69% of the species left after the Ice Age.
The Holocene Epoch, the period is what we are just leaving is super short in comparison to others which have gone for 100's of millions of years.

This connects to Air Conditioner waste and how to reduce and then redesign.

Mining has contributed a lot to Climate Change over the past 125 years.

The King has just had multiple protests on his recent visit to Australia; treaty, cost of their visits on Australians, and Greens First Nations Senator, all women, 2 cultures. And the Samoan visit was about staying within 1.5 - the Paris Climate Agreement , while asking for Climate Justice and Mitigation that needs to be done and how to reduce Australia's increasing mining carbon footprint.

As an Annex1 country our mining clients have to pay for the impacts of climate change on a warming and rising ocean. Arguing the science so that they wouldn't have to shorten the commercial use of the mines before they reached their asset cliff - no longer safe or feasible to run.

Any new mine that is being opened is not only going to have bear the costs of a short mining life and also pay for the Climate Justice claim on them being developed in the UN with a data modelling tool developed by Kate Raworth. As we speak.

As mining companies wish to stay relevant in the new economy, mining is needed in the circular economy but a lot less of it & with an auditable Slavery Act Prevention and Reparation policy, they also need to get their cheque books out and start funding the environmental reparation of the impact of ignoring or modelling the science for their benefit .

Lithium batteries will be designed out as it was previously a solution but with it's safety concerns continually growing the innovations coming out of waste, like Graphene, will help us get down to using only 30% of the earths virgin resources and still thriving as an economy.

The linear economy is so wasteful even though it is filled with economies of scale. Because of designed obsolescence.

When we design that out we will see a lot of business models start to disappear.

The circular economy is old school working with and buying from the people who make what you need as close to you as possible. Circular Economy is rollback and innovation.

Predictive and Gap Analysis Data, feedback loops, equality.
Everything else will fall into place.

We need scalable e-waste solutions yesterday, luckily they are on their way to our region, with this system then over time we will have less and less demand on virgin resources.

We do not need Uranium mines for green nuclear because a closed loop zero waste one has been designed that uses the nuclear waste as it's main resource. By Bill Gates, hence go watch his doco on Netflix, he's human in it.

In Africa people are experiencing loss of land and lifestyle because of our demands on previous minerals.

There are wars and war crimes happening all over the planet because of mining.

Would love your thoughts, please comment below. This is a conversation.

Going Off Grid By Creating Biogas From Your Loo [Toilet]

irene@circulareconomyfnq.org.au (Irene Portelli) — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 10:30:50 GMT

First Time We Heard About This There Was 30mins Of Hmmmmmm

When you think of it, we waste a lot of things in our modern day systems due to inefficient designs of water, waste and energy.

One of the biggest challenges ahead of us due to climate change is water security, we're getting hotter, we have a larger population in regional and remote communities due to the cost of land and houses being cheaper than in our capital cities, slightly less now but still better, but infrastructure can't keep up.

Albanese announced we are building 1.2million houses in Australia to help with the housing crisis which has been contributed to by the increase of single house holds due to a high divorce and seperation rate due to COVID. We're also having the 4th wave of feminism where women would rather be on their own than settle.

But he stated we need to wait for the infrastructure to be built to support that development but he's using old school thinking for new world solutions and the math just doesn't add up.

So. We have bigger lots of land in general in remote areas and the HomeBiogas system is perfect for our climate so it's a perfect fit to trial as an energy source for going off grid with our Passive Houses.

There is this big drive for innovation but the reality is a lot of people have been working on getting away from the linear system for decades, since the 70's in fact and that means simple but effective designs have been used and working through those times. But biogas has been used for over 8 centuries so it's not a new innovation it just needs simple to use processes and there are exciting options here and coming.

In fact there is only one in the domestic market, more in the commercial market though..

Which means there is a business opportunity for plumbing companies to use their R&D tax incentives to develop a domestic solution. There is a lot of commercial Biogas but the domestic market is severely lacking in this innovation.

This Video Started A 2 Year Journey On Biogas Research

Only 1 Brand Does Domestic HomeBiogas

Carbon Neutral In Place Solution

Short History Of Biogas - It's Old School But Works

This anaerobic process of decomposition (or fermentation) of organic matter happens all around us in nature and has been happening for a very long time. The bacteria that break down organic material into biogas are some of the oldest multi-celled organisms on the planet. Human use of biogas, of course, doesn’t go that far back. Anecdotal evidence traces the first uses of biogas to the Assyrians and the Persians in the 10th and 16th centuries. More recently, the 20th century has brought about a renaissance of both industrial and small-scale biogas systems.

Passive Home Mortgage- Bank Australia

irene@circulareconomyfnq.org.au (Irene Portelli) — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 11:12:08 GMT

Um Hello Read Their Opening Statement On Their Website

Seriously we are swooing over here.

Together with our customers, we’re creating a world where people and the planet thrive.

In FNQ, the sustainability in action rooms are 90% women, so hence...

Our ovaries are literally crying with relief. Finally a bank that speaks for people and planet.

We are buidling Passive Houses with an Australian Innovator who is an Architect and an Engineer. The 1 and 2brm house each diverts 3tonne of plastic from landfill in a high speed 3D printer that is an off grid micro factory, we know that you need to finance that build. After reading a copy of Sanctuary Magazine by Renew we discovered Bank Australia.

A bank that actually offers you a lower rate for your energy star rating on your house.

Reduced Rates For Going Green

What Do House Star Ratings Mean

Homes are given a star rating between 0 and 10.

A higher star rating means the home is more comfortable to live in and is cheaper to run. Lower star ratings mean a home is more costly to keep comfortable.

Below is a general guide to ratings:

a 0-star rated home is quite uncomfortable – too hot in summer and too cold in winter. It will require a lot of energy to heat and cool. QLDers!
a home reaching a 7-star rating will need some mechanical heating and cooling to keep it comfortable to live in.
a 10-star home is very energy efficient. It will remain comfortable year-round, with limited, or no mechanical cooling or heating.

Having lived in an off grid home that had no mechanical cooling or heating, there was a pot belly stove for Winter due to it being in Samford but it didn't need it, it was a want. What stood out in that build that it's not just the house design it is the orientation of the house on the block that also plays a super important part to the rating. That had a biomass internal wall. The fireproof plastic houses that we are bringing to Far North QLD will sit comfortably on the higher end of between a 7-10 Star rating which we will get certified for.

We believe that the time is over due where housing is sustainable.

Houses that are affordable.

Houses with a light footprint.

Passive Houses that can be printed in 1.5 days to 2 weeks and built in 2 weeks with zero waste. Australia Bank is going to love these houses.

Climate Change is coming much much faster, and having houses that allow the most vulnerable among us to live a life that is not comfortable in both Summer and Winter and has a low long term maintenance but has style. Reduced inequalities, SDG10, that matters to us. No one left behind, this is how we do it, sustainable low cost living housing.

Affordable because the long term savings in utilities due to a good ney great Star rating due to being air tight, with patented panels with biomass for cooling and warming benefits.

It's SDG13, Climate Action where each house diverts from 3 tonnes of plastics from landfill while having the load bearing that it can withstand a nuclear bomb, or a land slide in PNG.

This is what drives us daily, supporting entrepreneurs who are the real change makers, we just work with them to make sure their change making innovation is delivered to the people who need it most.

If you are looking to build a Granny Flat on your property for AirBnB, extra rent, Eco Tourism, Agri-Tourism or Cultural Tourism or a 3 bedroom home in FNQ.

Reach out as we are building them.

Making E-Commerce Circular with Air Robe: Simple Steps for Sustainable Shopping

irene@circulareconomyfnq.org.au (Irene Portelli) — Fri, 31 May 2024 11:28:53 GMT

Buy Better Buy Less - Air Robe The Circular Wardrobe

When AfterPay first came out, you saw all the big brands adopt it first.

This is the same with Air Robe.

All the high end labels are in there but I think this could be such an opportunity for sustainable craftspeople to get in there.

So as I follow a lot of ocean people in Facebook this brand Salty Dagger - its a thing in the ocean world, Salty is a popular key word. Anyways, I went down this rabbit hole and then on the cart page I saw this toggle. Air Robe it....

In life cycle analysis, the phase that can make the most impact on the planet is the USE phase which is why fast fashion is a killer for the planet, LITERALLY.

How It Works As A Consumer

How It Works As A Brand

what you do is reach out to them and set up an account, if it is like AfterPay they will have some widget you need to add to your site through a Developer and then you are off.

Honestly this is such an exciting opportunity for well made independent labels because you get to keep your customers happy and a third party site helps you get more exposure to your business in a good way.

Conscious shoppers are 3x more valuable to your brand.

Having a Sustainability Page on your website is a green signal that buyers are starting to search for.

By partnering with Air Robe it gives your brand more credibility as a business for good.

Jump on it, tell us how your experience was so we can add some extra insights to this blog.

How exciting. We hope.

3 Policies For Australia's Circular Industrial Economy

irene@circulareconomyfnq.org.au (Irene Portelli) — Tue, 21 May 2024 03:40:33 GMT

Product Stewardship Act - Slavery Act 2018 - Clean Up Politics Act

First and foremost do your own research on who you vote for with your attention, with your dollar - read labels PLEASE, and at the polls. Apathy votes when you are pissed at the status quo, doesn't move the needle, you get the politician you deserve.

The views here are based on our own research, which has been extensive because it's our job, to improve business and the democratic process in Australia.

Dr Monique Ryan did win some HECS relief but it was a superficial win as it didn't wipe student debt which is what we our kids need, the fact that the Australian Government makes more money from HECS than it does from taxing our Fossil Fuel companies. Tells you everything.

The key policies that haven't to date been used by our MPs to their fullest potential have actually been in place for 6 years for the Slavery Act 2018, has only this year in 2024 getting it's first commissioner. ��

Product Stewardship Act 2011 , yes 13 years. This is weaponised incompetence. By our own government. Administered by the Agriculture Fishery and Forestry. During this period this department was meant to create a recycling hub for e-waste and batteries. As it stands in Australia, the largest mining nation for Lithium, does NOT have a scaleable e-waste solution.

It was repealed in 2020 and now named the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 .

Our supply chain as it stands in 2024 is filled with Slavery, including our seafood . Even companies that do Supply Chain Audits these audits do not go more than one step back unless pushed for by the initial business, so it really does come down to being a business for good and asking harder questions. This was identified after doing some Circular Transition consulting with a large business that sells products from recycled plastic, there is a lot of work to do in this industry.

We strongly recommend if you are business for good to write a transparent Sustainability Policy page , including your transition strategy. The ACCC is going after businesses that are green washing and we have Ai and Natural Language Patterns that can identify the blatent copy and ones that written cleverly. This is Ai we support because catching out bad business is part of the way forward.

We also as of this year have a Voluntary Product Stewardship Act training though, so get on it.

Curation Of TikTok Videos On The Clean Up Politic Act - It's Overdue!!

Slavery Act 2018

The Act requires annual reports to be made by Australian based entities and those operating in Australia that have a minimum consolidated revenue of $100 million (reporting entities). Other entities can elect to report voluntarily. The Commonwealth Government is also required to publish its own annual modern slavery statement, which may be relevant for suppliers to the government.

The Act defines ‘modern slavery’ with reference to the Commonwealth Criminal Code and international law. It captures: • conduct that would constitute slavery and slavery-like offences, whether or not the conduct took place in Australia; • human trafficking; and • the worst forms of child labour. Slavery and slavery-like conduct would include forced labour, deceptive recruitment and debt bondage.

Cobalt is every single rechargeable product.

Right now, 5.9million people are displaced in the Congo because, Glencore, Samsung, Apple and Tesla are the 4 largest companies that mine there. They are subject to this act and we need to take action because not only is genocide happening but the stats say 49 women per hour are losing their freedom hourly to men doing what they shouldn't to them.

Glencore has a Slavery Policy for the UK and Australia, not for the DRC, Congo. go to YouTube and watch this video as there are links for the Blue Carbon Project into the Great Artisan Basin they tried to pass in 2024 �� They are now paying $1.1billion in fines that ' Glencore admitted to paying over $100 million in bribes to government officials in US, UK and Brazil through a series of subsidiaries, middlemen, and intermediary corporations in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Glencore’s principal objectives were obtaining unfair business advantages, acquiring state-owned operations, and mitigating or outright dismissing legal liabilities.' from this article. Another link >>> The Department of Justice in the US ruling link

Not all businesses out of Switzerland or the EU in fact are good for people and planet. Do your research people and duet us on TikTok if you want to have deeper conversations on that platform. #peoplepower #votewithyourdollar

How Ai Can Help Catch Businesses Who Are Greenwashing - Lenaion Labs

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 02:21:00 GMT

ASIC Has Given Out 4 Greenwashing Fines Since November 2022 & Counting.

If you have been working in or concerned about sustainability this news before Christmas was definitely a Santa moment.
Nathan, the founder of Lenaion Labs, is one of the Unicorns coming out of JCU Ideas Lab atm for his Ai software which has an algorithm especially for greenwashing terms that are easily to identify. Unlike ChatGTP which is a more generalised Ai engine, Lenaion is being constantly fed key signals that makes it highly tuned to catch green washing by business. The above image is one of the businesses that was fined by ASIC since November, 2022.
Here are some slides from his recent pitch at JCU in Feb 2022.
The problem is unless you are studying, working or living within the framework of Sustainability, if a business says they are green there is very little to verify that claim. Yes carbon calculators are coming, early days and it's a long play solution measuring the supply chain to calculate the elements like energy and transport and materials that add to that total calculation.
But it is the claims that you don't very like carbon neutral gas, there is no such thing but the business below wrote it in its documents and that is what ASIC is going through and auditing. Imagine Lenaion being used inside ASIC, how many more greenwashing fines = buyer awareness of where to use their green dollar to vote on whether to support a business.
In the 2022 Australia Post Ecommerce report, 3 out of every 4 buyers say their choice is influenced by a businesses sustainability claims. P.24; Businesses are responding, with 88% today having some form of sustainable practices and products. Of these, 34% have experienced improvements in

customer loyalty and company culture as a result.

Having worked in marketing for 12 years the above claim would make businesses go gah gah over customer retention improvement. Especially as COVid and the results of not so many humans in places like Venice which saw dolphins return for the first time in forever.

Why Lenaion Labs Greenwashing Ai Solution?

Now Nathan is top of his field in Natural Language Pattern identification.
That's it really.

He also has some super nerds on his team that took me 3 different discussions to get the awesome under the hood of their software. One of Nathan's programmers is a genius and is also working on a virtual lab inside JCU atm. Can you explain the details of how they are building the code to make it an exciting innovation, now, but over the coming months as we get more businesses to start using Lenaion Labs on their docs that they use in their business we will be putting more stories and Case Studies in this post.
All you need to know at this point in time is that this is another Santa moment.
Where those big verticals who have been making claims they are doing good, will be caught and the fines are relative to the turnover of their business.
Change is coming because the tools we need to make them happen are coming onto the market.

Exciting times ahead.

Want To Start A Plastic Recycling Business At Your School Or Community Centre

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 04:34:00 GMT

There is money in waste, especially when you put the goggles of micro-factories on.

Walter R. Stahel is the grand father of the Circular Industrial Economy, the OG of Circular Economy Specialists.

This is his graphic above and he has strongly recommended the use of Micro Factories in regional and remote locations for the Innovation Phase - Reuse, Repair and Remanufacture stage.

A micro factory is a small-scale manufacturing facility that is designed to produce a specific product or range of products. These factories are typically smaller and more compact than traditional manufacturing facilities, and they are often used to produce smaller quantities of items, such as custom or niche products.

Micro factories can be used to produce a wide range of products, including in our case passive homes, bio char and bio oils that can be sold in the place they are processed. There are additive manufacturing units for plastics and metals, and from 2024 it can be used to take the end of life of products to supply brands with a Product Stewardship Certification.

This takes the 'away' of waste disposal out of the sole responsibility of the consumer and puts it on the producer.

When this is more widely adopted it will influence product design. If you are a high school student or a parent of one reading this, this is going to be an exciting green job for your kids.

Micro factories, including the ones we have designed, often use advanced technologies such as 3D printing, CNC machines, and robotics to manufacture products quickly and efficiently. We have some innovation Ai data modelling that can develop predictive analysis from consumer and waste behaviour, a fantastic feedback tool for the Life Cycle Analysis - especially the USE phase.

Advantages of Micro factories include:

Flexibility: Micro factories can be easily adapted to produce different products , and they can be quickly reconfigured to change production processes.
Speed: Micro factories are often able to produce products more quickly than traditional manufacturing facilities, which can be beneficial for companies looking to get their products to market faster.
Cost-effective: Micro factories can be more cost-effective than traditional manufacturing facilities, as they require less space and fewer resources.
Local production: Micro factories can be set up in local communities, allowing manufacturers to produce goods closer to their customers and reduce the environmental impact of transportation.
Customisation: micro factories have the ability to produce small batch, customised and personalised products which may not be feasible for large scale production.

Micro factories are still in a relatively early stage of development and it remains to be seen how they will impact the manufacturing industry in the long run.

The Lesson From Red Cycle - who's branding is still on packaging nearly 2 years later.

When the news that Red Cycle had issues with their key partner after a warehouse fire and that they were stockpiling their plastics. This wasn't a failure in a sense because we collectively managed to send in through Coles and Woolworths collection points 5000 Tonne soft plastics a week to them.

We want to be part of the solution. We just need a sustainable roadmap to follow.

We have one and a solution that will keep waste in place in Far North QLD and create Industry 5.0 jobs .

But what if we stopped moving waste from where it is and process it in place. That is where micro-factories come in for plastics, the open-source solution designed Precious Plastics has a full suite of video training to help you understand how to sort and recycle plastics with their systems and we can niche it down into a few things.

Like recycle plastic lids/bottles into handles for kitchens or cupboards .

Knife handles for Caddy, Japanese knives, which had a hugely successful crowdfunded campaign.

Sadly though there is some bad news bubbling up about Precious Plastics, which is sad because over 500k micro businesses are making great products from it. Please do your own research and assessment but personally Circular Economy FNQ does not recommend it.

We do not endorse Precious Plastics because of the off gases in injection moulds done manually. We are starting to have feedback that more and more of these kinds of micro factories built on this system has health concerns which is why we have developed our own cluster of industrial micro factories.

How Schools Can Be Part Of The Solution

We have a need for 5 types of plastics for one of our printers.

HDPE, PP, PETG and ABS - every passive house we build we need 3 tonnes of it. If your school would like to be part of our supply chain we can invite excursion Advance Manufacturing Students into our Micro Factory to learn the CAD system to prototype other designs that have economic possibilities.

The other printer we have coming will take PET and HDPE and print with them without the need for sorting.

If you would like to be part of our supply chain for that and have the same opportunity to design something that is needed and has profit margin we are inviting Far North QLD schools to come in on excursions.

There is money in waste in fact there is an entire new economy in it and it will help us save the planet, lower the cost of living and make more business opportunities for those who are passionate about being part of the solution.

For an interactive educational toolkit for upper secondary high school educators and students to integrate circular thinking into the classroom, please click the link below.

It is for Teachers to download the workbooks and the educator support materials for in-class planning. Visit the educators’ hub for a range of extra resources that help to design incredible in-class learning around the Circular Economy.

We like to blend Kate Raworths system thinking over Unschools, we find the two go exceptionally well together.

Enjoy this learning curve, you will see the world of systems so much clearer once you consume both the course above and this book below.

We look forward to future discussions with your team or school.

Plastic Circular Innovation - Salty Monkeys - Diving Fins SDG12 SDG14

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 21:02:00 GMT

When you grow up in Paradise but the worlds waste is invading your backyard.

Dennis from Salty Monkeys, a business he promotes well made storytelling videos from the Torres Straits through his successful Youtube Channel & Instagram page with the rest of Australia and the world that after witnessing the plastic pollution in his dives to producing a non-virgin plastic set of quality designed fins with local indigenous artworks on them.

This story reflects not only the power of the internet and some quality editing can do to make a big impact even if you live in a remote part of anywhere on the planet but that we all have the power and influence to do something about it.

SDG12 - How Salty Monkeys Are Crushing It

SDG 12 is responsible consumption and production.
One of the key steps in changing our linear lifestyle is easy, #buybetterbuyless.

Now these fins are going to be priced so that they are an investment but they are also being made to last.

The key step in this product that we love is the attention to detail in the design. When you make something good it is made to last, you know like the good old days or if you are younger than 30 how we used to do it.

When we had service skills not just stuff.

When you could take something back and get it repaired, which anyone who has a boat knows, when you're out on that water, you learn how to fix stuff the only thing at your disposal is a good toolkit.

SDG 14 - Life Below The Water

The unique issue of plastic waste in Torres Strait is that the currents up there bring plastics from Indonesia and other regions right to to their doorstep and they wash up in remote beaches.

In some places the plastics are feet high [pictures are coming]

But Salty Monkeys have a project that will help solve this problem while promoting the need for better quality plastics so we don’t have to sort and process 7 different types of plastic.

There is a long way to go but we can all do our part by making sure we buy non-virgin products and return it at end of life so it can recycled properly.

Businesses coming on board to join Plastic Free Cairns and kicking off Plastic Free July

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 01:57:00 GMT

Soon, businesses all over Cairns will be proudly displaying their ‘plastic-free’ status under the Plastic Free Cairns program to reduce single-use plastic in the region.

Plastic Free Cairns is run by peak not-for-profit group the Boomerang Alliance as the next step in achieving change away from plastic pollution, and is partnered with Cairns Regional Council and funded by the Queensland Government. Cairns is the fifth community in the Boomerang Alliance's national Plastic Free Places program and any food retail business is able to join!

Plastic Free Cairns is a free service for all Cairns cafes and restaurants to reduce six key single use plastic items that are commonly found in the litter stream - plastic water bottles, straws, coffee/cups & lids, takeaway containers, foodware (cutlery, cups, plates, sauce or ice cream containers etc.) and plastic bags.

“All of these items have readily available reusable or compostable alternatives - our job is to work with businesses to show them what the alternatives are, where they can source them and how to save on packaging and costs. We provide tailored packaging advice making it easy and cost-effective to be plastic free", said program coordinator Helen Reilly. "Once they have eliminated the single use plastics we're targeting, we crown them as 'Plastic Free Champions'.

The program quietly commenced at the beginning of March about the same time when Covid-19 forced many cafes and restaurants to close their doors or do takeaway only. Despite the slow start, there are already 14 official members (not long reaching 20 members) and 2 Plastic Free Champions, with more than a handful of local cafes and restaurants interested in joining every week.

The primary goal of the program is a 50% reduction in the number of identified single-use plastic packaging used by members and to sign up 100+ food outlets as members of the program in the first year, with a view to implementing a plastic free system that could be extended to include more businesses over time.

Blackbird Espresso Warehouse in Bungalow and Laneway in the CBD are Cairns’ first ‘Plastic Free Champions’. Upon becoming a Champion, businesses receive a unique sign that identifies them and a Champion listing on the website www.plasticfreecairns.org.

From the first time Troy and Daniela Furner, of Blackbird Espresso, witnessed a straw lodged in a turtle’s nostril 8 years ago at Townsville’s Reef HQ, they knew that they simply just had to do what was right by the environment.

“As a small business in a location that sits amongst one of the world's seven wonders and world heritage listed rainforest, we ourselves have the opportunity to make decisions in our own business that directly affect the natural area we live in” said Troy. “The Plastic Free Cairns program is a great initiative for businesses to be given guidance and mentoring on where to find and how to implement plastic free products throughout their supply and set an example to other businesses in the region."

‘With the Queensland State Government planning to phase-out certain problem single use plastics in 2021, there has never been a better time to join the program.’ said Helen. "I've never been more proud of the Cairns local business community, rallying together to reduce single use plastics. It's clear to me that many food business owners of Cairns still care about the environment, despite Covid-19, and are open to better packaging options for the environment."

But it's not just businesses who can get involved..have you thought about reducing your use of plastic? No better time to make a start than to register your pledge at Plastic Free July!

From its humble beginnings in 2011, the award-winning Plastic Free July campaign, run by a passionate team in Australia but operating across the globe, encourages everyone to make a pledge for July to avoid as much plastic across different areas of everyday life, at home, school or university, work (as an employee or employer), shopping/cafe/retail shop owner or council employee.

By registering your details at https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/take-the-challenge/, you can join 250 million participants from around the world and receive weekly emails with tips and tricks, the latest plastic free ideas, read stories from other participants and find long lasting solutions in your lifestyle. Together we can make a difference and be a part of the solution.

Importantly, also choose to support those businesses who are actively working to reduce plastic - you can find an updated list at www.plasticfreecairns.org. Let them know you appreciate what they are doing and give them some love! Look out for the special 'Plastic Free Champions' sign - only given to those businesses who have eliminated all six items and significantly reduced their plastic use.

During Plastic Free July, Plastic Free Cairns is running a competition to win a Plastic Free Prize Pack – valued at $200

• 1L Stainless Steel Water Bottle

• Artisan Glass Reusable Coffee Cup

• Stainless Steel Bento Snack Box

• Bamboo Cutlery, Straw & Chopsticks Travel Pack

• Fresh Produce Bags (Boomerang Bags)

• Carry Bags (Boomerang Bags)

• Palm Cove Solid Hair Care Bar

• Crystal Cascades Moisturising Body Bar

• Bamboo Toothbrush

• Bamboo Sporks

• Loofah Kitchen Sponges

To enter the competition head to Star FM https://www.star1027.com.au/win/win-now . Competition begins on the 6th of July 20 with the winner announced Friday the 24th of July 2020.

Stay up to date on exciting developments in the Plastic Free Cairns program on social media Facebook or Instagram (@plasticfreecairns).

To find out more about the program, view the current list of members or to join as a café or restaurant, visit plasticfreecairns.org .

Do you really know the volume and knock-on effects of food waste?

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Today, an estimated one-third of all the food produced in the world goes to waste.

That is equal to about 1.3 billion tons of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood, and grains that either never leave the farm, get lost or spoiled during distribution, or are thrown away in hotels, grocery stores, restaurants, schools, or home kitchens. It could be enough calories to feed every undernourished person on the planet.

But wasted food isn't just a social or humanitarian concern it's an environmental one. When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. And if food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. About 11% of all the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the food system could be reduced if we stop wasting food!

As the world’s population continues to grow, our challenge should not be how to grow more food, but to feed more people while wasting less of what we already produce!

Thankfully, there are plenty of actions we can take at the consumer level to make a significant difference. From delivering leftovers to those in need, to freezing food, shopping smarter, and composting to keep inedible scraps out of landfills, we can all take responsibility.

Preventing food waste is the most effective way to shrink its impact on the planet. If we avoid producing food that we don't eat, we can save the land, water, and energy that would have been used to make it. And awareness is a good first step educating consumers about food waste could prevent 2.3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, adopting circular economy principles to prevent food waste is the first step.

What is the Circular Economy?

A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy where (make, use, dispose of) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products. For businesses adopting circular models, benefits include greater efficiency and profitability, less waste and cost, better innovation, and stronger relationships with customers.

However, for many the concept of circular economy models and the shift required in mindset and business processes can seem overwhelming, there is a need for a greater understanding of what circular economy means and how businesses are successfully adopting circular models.

By fighting food waste through a circular economy model, there is a real advantage to be gained for businesses, communities, and the environments in which we live, work and grow.

As local businesses having a better understanding of the negative impacts of food waste, they become more armed with the knowledge to make positive choices. There are many off-the-shelf solutions available to turn food waste into a resource, and keep it away from landfills, whilst reducing your carbon footprint, but first, we all need to be mindful and take responsibility on how we are creating food waste.

ONSITE COMPOSTING IS THE SOLUTION NO LANDFILL NO CARBON FOOTPRINT CREATE A USEABLE RESOURCE FROM FOOD WASTE COMPOST.

By Tina O’Hagan Foodservice Design and Business Consultancy

The Board at Circular Economy FNQ are trialling 3 different onsite Food Composting solutions through our Circular Business Transition Program that we are piloting in Port Douglas this year, 2022.

We are then bringing the insights from our Pilot to in Cairns and Palm Cove in 2023. We are working with CRC Fight Food Waste who is funding our Pilot this year.

If you would like to be involved in our program please reach out to us as we are identifying food waste solutions from small Cafes to Hotels to Apartment buildings. We are data driven so what we identify will not only save you money on your Waste Management but includes change transition training to make sure we reduce the contamination in waste so that the end resource is of high quality.

We are working with key stakeholders in Ag, Business, Schools and community groups as well as our Local Councils and State Government to create a truly Circular Economy in FOGO, food organics, garden organics in FNQ.

Our Transition program will be what is behind our Circular Business Membership that will be available 2 x a year from 2023.

Reach out, we'd love to hear from you.

There Is A Lot Of Money In Waste

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 22:11:00 GMT

COP26 saw Australia get some negative press in both social media, news and offline media, think big billboards in lights on busy city intersections kind of messaging.
The reason why the world was looking at us in disbelief is probably because they saw David Attenborough's; Life On Planet Earth and his statement of how we change to save it. We have to do some huge changes a lot sooner than 2050.
We have till 2031 to lower our carbon footprint by 50% to keep our temp increase to 1.5deg otherwise we are going to slide into irreversible climate change taking us out of the Holocene era into an era that will lead to a loss of 50% of the worlds species. And not a large amount of insects either. Polar Caps gone, Polar Bears, gone, Great Barrier Reef, gone.
So how do we stop this? We squeeze every last drop out of the resources we are extracting or have extracted from the planet and reverse the damage we have done and create less waste along the way. Nothing is wasted in nature and nature is the key to finding a use for everything we produce/use.
POSITIVE CHANGE IS COMING - BUT WE NEED TO WORK AT IT
Waste As A Commodity
By 2024 we can no longer export our waste. Due to the National Recycling Act by 2024 we can no longer export our waste, so this presents some exciting opportunities for people who have a head for business.
This one policy is going to change a lot of things, especially how we produce, sort and repurpose the things we consume.
There is going to be an abundance of waste and sending it to landfill because that's what the linear economy did with it. What we didn't realise till it became a problem too big to ignore is that it produces Methane and reducing our Methane is one of the fastest ways that we can reduce our impact on climate change so that is where the disruption is happening first. But there is a lot more.
Illisa Ocko's Ted Talk will get you started on your research and why it's a key piece to data we will be reporting in our Mapping The Doughnut Project we are starting this year, 2022. It's a critical driver to fast results.
2022 + beyond is going to be exciting, the reduce climate change puzzle is coming together.
Repurposing this waste is going to change the way we produce things as we need to reuse and reduce at the same time and that is where the skillset of regenerative design will create new products, new systems and easier sustainability in both a home and commercial situation.
When there are policies, acts and grants we have business disruption, when 90% of our waste is high quality we have the beginnings of a new economy. The solutions offer cost savings for the existing business owner and a low cost commodity for the waste entrepreneur and then a low carbon commodity for industry to use and get Australia on track to hit Zero Carbon emissions faster.
That's it in a nutshell, unpacking it is what we are doing in the rest of our blogs, vlogs and tutorials.
Important Facts + Links;
National Recycling Act - Trevor Evans Federal Member For Brisbane
By 2024, we can no longer export any waste. We have to deal with it here.
The Recycling Modernisation Fund for QLD was only $20million from Fed, $20million from State; EXPIRED
National Waste Action Plan 80% recovery rate from waste by 2030, halve organic waste to landfill < methane issue, we should make it 100% FOGO Bins can fix this.
Regenerative and Distributive Design - the key to circular economy.
ReMade Australia Campaign; <<< Click There
Remember that the green dollar, buy 0 to low carbon products yes we can track that, can influence change before policies and grants pick up on it. �55357;�56474;

What Is Circular Economy And How Can It Help Save The Planet?

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 22:11:00 GMT

What Is Circular Economy?

Now before this book came out would I have thought I would find economics so exciting but when someone takes something super complex and teaches you how to comprehend it and spread it, then that's something to get excited about right.

Because it is the key to the puzzle that makes policies in Government change, it provides proof of impact and strategies to change without making things worse before they get better. It's like using data to make changes and that truly excites me.

Our economies run on systems and processes, economics is the foundation of governments as JFK said in his speech that GDP is the way out of stagnation in the American economy but not so good for the planets resources over time and as we grow in population.

If we do not stay within the safe boundaries of the planets resources the environment will change to create changes that will make the next generation look back on our version of the world with wonder and awe and a little regret that we didn't keep it this way.

To put this in context, 1.5 degrees increase in temperature means we get to keep the Great Barrier Reef, it will be bleached to hell but we can revive it, at a cost and usually that cost comes out of tax payers money if we don't have Blue Carbon Credits set up and functioning properly. Anything above that means there will be no World Heritage Listed GBR, it will be gone. Science Friction Podcast - ABC Environment Reporter Nick Kilbert
COP26.

There are 3 pillars of Climate Action that we need to act on and fast;

Mitigation

Adaption and

Loss and Damage - this one is going to be hard as we are seen as an Annex 1 nation which means we are going to be called upon to fund the clean ups of the impacts of Climate Change on developing economies.

Even more reason to design out the inefficiencies in the linear economy so we can help others especially our neighbouring Blue Continent. Pacific Islands, Melanesia and Polynesia.

The Roadmap For Circular Economies

What I love about this framework is that no one is left behind. Locally or internationally.

We look at how we are not living within our means and we use the innovation of business and the policies of government, done right not like how the Carbon Tax is being distributed to farmers without the correct increase of 20% not 20% of land even if you have 18% already covered then this policy only means you have to increase by 2% which makes little impact and has little leverage on farmers to go further into regenerative farming practices.

We have the policies we need that are good for business, society and the planet we have had the Slavery Act since 2018 but it is only just getting it's first Commissioner in 2024, and we have had the Product Stewardship Act since 2011 but sadly neither have any real teeth. Even with the Climate Election done and gone we have this same old politics of fear mongering and posturing with tokenistic change. But this change was always going to be #grassroots in nature. The people who benefit from a disfunctional system are not going to change, but thankfully due to social media and especially TikTok a platform based on sharing knowledge and mental health solutions through comedy we are learning how to mobilise at an accelerated rate.

Circular Economy is the new economy that some cool economists have devised is the way that we can live on this planet without exhausting her resources as we travel towards 11billion inhabitants by the year 2100.

It creates what is known as the S curve, instead of the GDP constant upward trajectory curve of consistent GROWTH. It is the economy that visualises the impacts of re- & up-cycling in a way that designs out the imbalance that GDP economy has created. It talks about virgin + non-virgin resources, = waste, and how by making these changes we will see the beginning of the 3rd industrial Age as we move into our new way of walking lightly on the planet. So exciting.

These 7 x 3 minute videos give you a fast lesson in the principles of the circular economy.

Doughnut Economics Explained

Change From Linear To Circular

Old Economics Doesn't Serve Us As A Planet

Factor In Free Labour - GDP Doesn't Value It

We Need A Change Of Systems To Make Change Efficient
Economists Are More Like Gardeners Today

Address Increasing Inequality, It Is A Failure Of GDP Economic Design >>>Distributive Design<<<

The benefits of growth does not trickle down in fact it is widening the gap between the haves and have nots.

Redistributing Wealth is a core part of the doughnut economics framework.

REgenerative Design

Linear to Circular Economy; Recycle, Reduce, Repurpose, REUSE.

We Need Economies That Make Us Thrive Whether Or Not They Grow.

Life Cycle Analysis - Key To Systems reDesign

We blend 3 different types of study to create a unique way to address a transition in your business to reduce Scope 3 emissions.

The Micro Factories that are being launched in Cairns will take the end of life products to provide a Product Stewardship Certification processing solution. This is how we will execute Sustainable Development Goal 12 in full completion as well as SDG10, 8 and partials of 6 other SDGs.

So How Does ecoBiz Fit Into The Circular Plan?

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 22:11:00 GMT

What Is ecoBiz?

ecoBiz is a free program funded by the Queensland Government and delivered by the Chamber of Commerce & Industry Queensland (CCIQ), which helps Queensland businesses and organisations audit their resource use and reduce costs from waste, water, and energy bills. After a free two-hour coaching session with one of our sustainability experts, businesses receive a written report with practical and actionable recommendations, which are often no or low cost to implement.

Every year, ecoBiz specialists analyse how participating businesses have progressed.

Here are the key ways we see ecoBiz plays into not only the first steps in going circular but acting as a foundational framework for waste management.

ecoBiz Coaching

... for your team
ecoBiz is a program that is being rolled out in Queensland, how lucky are we. It is no secret that the circular economy framework is being rolled out in Melbourne and SEQLD with great uptakes in the business model. Government and patterns in the framework are being developed, we just have to tweak it so it suits our environment and location, and stage of development.

If you want to learn, take a course, if you want to learn fast, get a coach. That’s where ecoBiz comes in.

100% Free - Fiona, our FNQ ecoBiz coach

To access Fiona you have to register on CCIQ website and that is how you come up in Fiona’s schedule to start to work with your business. They use data to measure the change in your waste; Energy, Water and Waste, and how a change between a 10-25% drop in waste can earn you one in each area of these coveted stars. The Star Partner program.

What's Involved?

ecoBiz is there to encourage and support and do the report you need to see where are the greatest opportunities for change and who is willing to step up to it to handle it.

Your ecoBiz coach will spend time doing the survey of your bills to identify what you can change and how from that you might just save $’s in waste management fees as well as educating your people on how to waste less across Power, Water and rubbish.

The Other Stakeholders

We attended the ecoBiz awards this year and the passion and excitement in the Small Chamber Of Commerce and the support they are offering for businesses that attain ecoBiz Star Partners and ongoing optimisation of their ratings was very heartwarming. There was a lot of hope in that room.

Supported by data and systems this framework is something we are getting behind at circular economy fnq. People who are aware of council and grant funding opportunities are looking towards circular business frameworks as those they wish to support to make a strong difference in the region to handle our current and future challenges with a collective approach.

Data and systems and shared intelligence is how we are going to navigate the change that we need to see in every industry that thrives here to make them handle the change to true sustainability with as much grace as we can provide. And most of all with as much hope as they need.

Where Circular Economy FNQ Comes In

To support the impact that ecoBiz and BCorp provides we are looking at other software and stakeholders that are helping make the goal of a circular economy a reality. Green KPI. We have done a Green Ripple Effect story on the co-founder Johanna Kloot.

circular-economy-fnq

Who Owns Our Rubbish? The Quiet Money in Waste

Your Bin Is A Business

Follow The Money

Levies vs Gate Fees: What You're Actually Paying For

Who's Cashing In

The Granny Flat In A Day Lesson

Closer To Home: The Cairns Problem

Our Answer: Keep The Value Local

The Hidden Value: Data

Next-step Questions

What You Can Do?

Sources;

Don't Bite the Hand That Fuels You - Fossil Fuel Subsidies

Who Is Our Energy Policy Really Serving?

Fossil Fuels Subsidies At Home: Two States, Same Direction

Queensland: fossil-fuelled AI, with an Olympics to sell

Our Taxes Are Paying Them To Do It

The View From The Pacific

The Hand That Fuels Us: Japan, The Beetaloo And The Gas Tax

Saying No, And Building Something Better

Launching Your (Citizen) Journalism Career

Who Is Pushing For Fracking, And Where

Hard Next-Step Questions

Support Beyond Policy: How Taxpayers Back Gas

Hard next-step questions

Who Is Bucking The Norm

Follow The Conversation On TikTok and Instagram

Hard Next-Step Questions

Your Investigative Toolkit

Habits Of A Good Investigator

The Questions Every Investigator Should Ask

Get Published With Us

How Politicians Cause The Downfall Of Societies

We Need To Talk About The 16 Lobbyists Per Politician In Canberra

Political Patterns That Contributed to Decline:

60% Of Australians Do Not Trust Government

When The Townsquare Is Used For Election Fraud

Greenland Is About Shipping!!

LNP > Katter Party > One Nation

So Let's Talk Socialist Party

What A Tiny House Village Could Look Like In Cairns

�� Designing a Better Way to Live Small: A 16-Home Off-Grid Tiny House Village for Far North Queensland

Tiny House Owners Make The Best Tenants - Homeowner and Tenant

Not a Caravan Park — A Village

Off-Grid by Design

A Village That Grows Its Own Food ﻿

The Numbers

An Opportunity for Landowners

Where the Funding Could Come From

Navigating the Legal and Regulatory Pathway

Cyclone Resilience, Solved Simply

Room to Grow

Why It Works

Systems Collapse reDistributes Power & That Is A Good Thing

Beyond Nostalgia; Solidarity Politics For An Era Of Collapse

The problem is not human nature. The problem is a system that trained us into extraction, speed, competition, and obedience.

The Silence Around Collapse

Collapse Is Not A Moral Failure Of Humanity

Why Collapse Opens Political Space

From Progress Politics To Solidarity Politics

The Four Pathways Through Collapse

Choosing solidarity over silence

Comments Prompt: Solidarity Politics In An Era Of Collapse

How Geckos Contribute To Shorten The Lifespan Of Air Conditioners In FNQ

Air Conditioners Make Great Homes In Winter

How To Gecko Proof Your Air Conditioner

Learning Circular Principles From Nature

Go Watch Bill Gates Green Nuclear Innovation Ep3

Going Off Grid By Creating Biogas From Your Loo [Toilet]

First Time We Heard About This There Was 30mins Of Hmmmmmm

This Video Started A 2 Year Journey On Biogas Research

Only 1 Brand Does Domestic HomeBiogas

Carbon Neutral In Place Solution

Passive Home Mortgage- Bank Australia

Um Hello Read Their Opening Statement On Their Website

Reduced Rates For Going Green

What Do House Star Ratings Mean

Making E-Commerce Circular with Air Robe: Simple Steps for Sustainable Shopping

Buy Better Buy Less - Air Robe The Circular Wardrobe

A Village That Grows Its Own Food

The problem is not human nature.
The problem is a system that trained us into extraction, speed, competition, and obedience.

We Need A Change Of Systems To Make Change Efficient
Economists Are More Like Gardeners Today

What Is ecoBiz?