Up to 40,000 tonnes of Canberrans' food waste could be turned into compost each year, under an ACT Greens proposal to allow the waste into the city's new green bins.
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While the territory's residents have only had access to green bins for a month, the minor party wants to expand the types of waste able to be disposed of in the bins already.
Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur has called for food waste to be to be disposed of in the bins, a move that could save up to 40,000 tonnes of waste entering Canberra's landfill each year.
Food waste is currently not allowed in the bins, which can be used for garden prunings, leaves, grass clippings, weeds, small branches (up to 45 centimetres long and 10 centimetres in diameter) and flowers.
Stumps, logs, soil, sawdust, ash, and construction-type materials are banned.
Ms Le Couteur said up to 30 per cent of the waste from an average Canberra home is food waste, which contributes significantly to global methane emissions in landfill.
"Many Canberra people compost their kitchen waste at home, but not all of us have time or space to do so," she said.
"By allowing food waste into the existing green bin system, this is a simple and cost-effective way of reducing food waste."
Ms Le Couteur said it could stop up to 96 per cent of Canberra's food waste methane emissions, though it has not been fully costed.
