Gold Coast City Council launches Compost Revolution to deliver cheaper worm farms, compost bins

The Gold Coast City Council has introduced a radical recycling initiative at a cost of $200,000, which could reduce your family’s contribution to landfill by almost 90kg per year. Find out how you can get involved.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate (right) and a Bokashi composting bin at the launch of the Gold Coast's home composting subsidy on July 11, 2025. Picture: Jacklyn O'Brien.

Gold Coast City Council is splashing $200,000 on a new program giving massive discounts on worm farms and compost bins, in a bid to divert waste from landfill.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said if residents started composting, an average household would reduce their landfill contribution by almost 90kg per year, which is why the council was investing the money to make composting more accessible.

Through the council’s partnership with Compost Revolution, Gold Coasters can get more than 50 per cent off all kinds of composting setups from worm farms, traditional compost bins and bokashi bins.

Residents can buy the Dirt Vader compost bin and aerator for $60, saving $95, the worm farm and 1kg of worms for $60, saving $100, and a bokashi bin with enzymes for $35, saving $85.

The program, announced on July 11, will be delivered by the Advanced Resource Recovery Centre project, which is helping devise plans like this aimed at reducing landfill dependent.

Worm farms are a great way to compost organic material for use in your garden. Picture: Mark Wilson

“Food organics in landfill creates harmful greenhouse gases, particularly methane, which can contribute to change,” Mr Tate said.

“The ARRC Compost Revolution program will give Gold Coasters the tools at a subsidised cost to help us reduce landfill and emissions, while we look at other citywide solutions for food organics recycling.

“If we don’t look at recycling out waste, we’ve got to look at buying up more land for landfill, and I would rather not buy any more landfill, and keep the land for open space and parks, that’s what we want.”

The initiative has potential to divert 97 per cent of household waste from landfills, and has also sorted the mayor’s Christmas gift for his mother-in-law.

“Now I know what to get my mother-in-law who lives with us for Christmas,” Mr Tate said.

“That will be the worm farm. She can feed the worms, and from the worms you get all the by-products, and from that you can feed the garden, and your flowers are gonna bloom.

“So instead of buying her flowers I’m going right to the beginning and getting the worm farm for her.”

Originally published as Gold Coast City Council launches Compost Revolution to deliver cheaper worm farms, compost bins