Where it started
The Hunter is home. Feedback Organic began on a farm in the Barrington Tops in 2013, then ran urban farms in Newcastle. Through those farms we kept more than 2.5 million litres of food waste out of landfill up to 2023. Since June 2021 we have also collected 89 tonnes of food waste from Hunter businesses with our collection partner, and that weekly service is what we run today.
The NSW rules here are different, for now
This is the most important local detail. The NSW EPA has given a time-limited exemption from the business food waste rules to businesses in listed regional council areas outside Greater Sydney, until 1 July 2028. When we checked on 11 October 2026, the list included Newcastle City Council, Port Stephens, Dungog and Mid-Coast, but not Lake Macquarie, Maitland or Cessnock.
- In Newcastle, a covered site above a threshold has until 1 July 2028. From then, sites with 1,980L or more of general waste capacity a week are covered, and sites with 720L or more from 1 July 2030.
- In Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Cessnock, the rules apply on the same timetable as Sydney: 3,960L a week from 1 July 2026, 1,980L from 1 July 2028 and 720L from 1 July 2030.
An exemption is a delay, not a reason to wait. Read the full guide to the NSW food waste rules for the exemption details and the EPA sources.
Councils and household services
According to the NSW EPA's council list, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Cessnock councils already provide a food and garden organics (FOGO) service to households, Newcastle City Council has one planned, and Port Stephens currently provides garden organics only. That difference is the reason Newcastle is on the exemption list: the regional exemption applies where the council did not yet provide a household food service as at 30 June 2026.
What it costs
The price is the same as everywhere we collect: $45 a 120L bin a week for up to 20kg a lift, $49 for up to 35kg and $54 for up to 50kg, ex GST, plus a 9.93% fuel levy shown as its own line. For the first few weeks we watch the real weights, then set the tier that fits. See how the weight tiers work.
See how our weekly food waste collection works, read our post on commercial food waste collection in Newcastle and the Hunter, or see how food waste becomes food.
Exemption details from the NSW EPA exemptions page; council household service status from the NSW EPA FOGO services map and council list; both checked 11 October 2026. 89 tonnes is food waste collected from Hunter businesses, June 2021 to August 2026; 2.5 million litres is from the farm era to 2023. Prices are our current rates for the 2026-27 financial year.