Compost Australia publishes a fortnightly E-news reporting on current activities and opportunities for members to participate in the association. The Compost Australia E-news provides the day-to-day detail of associational activity, compiling information into one email rather than sending multiple emails to members every week. The E-news email contains a paragraph on each news item and a link to the full article on-line. This reduces the size of the E-news email and allows the reader to view only articles of interest to them. The full on-line article allows the reader to submit comments that all furture readers can also review.

The fortnightly e-news is currently on-hold while the Advancing the Recycled Organics Industry Program is promoted. In the interim the membership will be updated via the list server. 

The Recycled Organics Unit, in partership with Compost Australia and sponsored by the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation produce the Recycled Organics National eNews. Two editions of this email newsletter are published each year to inform the Recycled Organics sector of relevant industry government and research activities around Australia. The Recycled Organics National eNews will also assist the Recycled Organics Unit to ensure that new information resources are catalogued and made universally available via the www.rolibrary.com on-line catalogue. The National eNews provides a concise overview of alll industry, government and research activities rather than the day-to-day associational perspective of the Compost Australia E-news.

Compost Australia's contribution to the Recycled Organic National eNews, the Industry Update,  is also published below and is updated biannually with each new addition of the eNews. The last update occured in June 2008.

During the previous 12 months, Compost Australia has been focused on engaging the following three specific strategies:

Strategy 1: Industry to Influence
Compost Australia has built on the energy and industry identity created by the Roadmap Project to create a more unified and outward looking association. During 2006 the focus was on improving internal decision making processes and developing grant applications for federal funding. For this reason the business and market development plans are both informal and evolving. A workshop on recycled organics market development (as a key step in documenting a national market development plan) is to be run on 26-27 July 2007 in Canberra.

Compost Australia recognise that the key to funding the ongoing implementation of the Roadmap is establishing a joint industry fund, or ‘War Chest’, that can be used to leverage grant money and other government funding opportunities. The biggest challenge is raising those funds in a fair and equitable manner (limiting free-riding).

Strategy 2: Marketing / Market Development
The Roadmap identifies marketing ‘fit-for-purpose’ products under a common brand as an important strategy for creating a successful Recycled Organic Industry in Australia. Since mid-2006 Compost Australia has been working towards a revised Australian Standard for Composts, Soil Conditioners and Mulches, plus an updated product certification scheme that allows compost manufacturers and researchers to register specific products designed to meet end-user needs with an independent certifier.

During the first few months of 2007 a new ‘Leaf’ Brand has been developed to provide the link between independently certified products and joint marketing activities. A national agreement involving the industry, the WMAA Board and an independent certifier is now nearing completion. The first certified products carrying the brand should be available from August in Victoria, and be ready for the peak sales period in Spring 2007.

Strategy 3: Education and Research
The development of a Compost Australia Communications Plan and the R&D Forum have been fundamental mechanisms for implementing Strategy 3. The work of the Recycled Organics Unit (NSW) and of the relevant state government authorities provided a firm platform for education and research even prior to the Roadmap (2005). The RO Library, an on-line one-stop-shop for finding literature on recycled organics, and the this eNews provide good coverage of current and completed research in the field.

Compost Australia supports these resources by providing information to the ROU and directing interested parties to these resources. However, there is still work to be done in establishing systems for communicating the results of research and the benefits of using recycled organic products. It is envisaged that the product development, certification and joint marketing activities will assist in distributing research information and using it to educate the market.
Recycled Organics Western Australia (ROWA) has been active in developing and testing a National Communication Planning framework starting in Western Australia. Basic procedures, forms and data management systems are being established to facilitate a nationally consistent mechanism for communication. Western Australia will also host the next R&D Forum in September 2007.

See www.compostaustralia.com for the latest information on the industry and to download copies of Compost Australia minutes and reports.