In a time when climate consciousness is no longer a niche concern but a business imperative, one Brisbane-based company is redefining the way organisations handle food waste. Mallow Sustainability is at the forefront of a local movement, helping businesses reduce their environmental footprint through a circular economy approach to organic waste.
Mallow Sustainability offers food waste collection services to businesses across Brisbane. However, this is no ordinary bin pick-up. Their service includes the collection of coffee grinds, fruit and vegetable scraps, and other compostable organic materials such as coffee cups. Instead of ending up in landfill, where food waste contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, this waste is transformed into nutrient-rich compost and worm castings.
“We don’t just take the waste—we give it a second life,” says Jessica Lindsay, Mallow Sustainability founder. Through a combination of traditional composting and worm farming, Mallow produces high-quality soil amendments that are returned to the earth via their farming operations. The result? A powerful cycle that benefits not just the environment, but their business clients and the wider community.
According to Australian charity group Foodbank,” Australia currently creates more than 7.6 million tonnes of food waste each year – enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Grounds nine times. This is costing the Australian economy over $36.6 billion despite 70 percent of it is perfectly edible” (Food Bank, 2021).
Mallow’s services provide a practical, hyperlocal solution. Businesses that partner with Mallow are able to:
- Divert waste from landfill, reducing tipping fees and environmental impact
- Contribute to climate action, lowering methane emissions caused by decomposing food in landfill
- Enhance their brand’s sustainability credentials, meeting consumer demand for eco-responsibility
- Support local food systems, with Mallow’s organic produce supplied back to Brisbane cafes and restaurants
Sustainability as Strategy
The shift towards sustainable business practices is not just ethical—it’s strategic. Consumers, particularly younger demographics, are actively seeking out brands that align with their values.For food and event businesses, this means that responsible waste management is no longer a nice-to-have, but a market expectation.
Mallow also offers tailored organic waste management plans to help clients embed sustainability into their operations. From back-of-house training to sorting systems, the team ensures that businesses can confidently reduce, reuse, and regenerate.
The Circular Future is Local
What sets Mallow apart is its local-first approach. The compost produced from business waste goes into growing organic, seasonal produce, which is then delivered back to the very businesses that contributed the compostables. This creates a closed-loop system, an inspiring model for how urban areas can tackle sustainability in tangible, community-driven ways.
For Brisbane businesses looking to reduce their footprint and improve their impact, Mallow offers more than just a bin service. They offer a vision for regeneration, one coffee grind and veggie scrap at a time. For more information visit https://www.mallowsustainability.com.au/
References
Food Bank (2021). Surprising Facts about Food Waste. [online] Foodbank. Available at: https://www.foodbank.org.au/food-waste-facts-in-australia/?state=qld.
Brisbane-based company is redefining the way organisations handle food waste