A new Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection is set to make it easier than ever to reduce waste and stop material going to landfill, while also reducing harmful greenhouse gases.
From 2 October 2023, garden clippings and food scraps, including meat and bones, will be able to be disposed of in residents FOGO bins, in an effort to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
Yarra Ranges Mayor, Jim Child, said the new FOGO bin system was part of the State Government’s Circular Economy Policy.
“Up to 45 per cent of the material in a typical Yarra Ranges household’s rubbish bin is food waste,” Cr Child said.
“By using the new FOGO service and placing all of our food scraps into the FOGO bin instead of the rubbish bin, we can save 13,500 tonnes of food waste going to landfill every year,” he said.
“This will significantly reduce our impact on the environment and the unstainable reliance we have had on landfill for many years.”
Residents who do not currently have a Green Organics bin will receive a new lime green lidded FOGO bin between August and September, prior to the new service starting on 2 October.
The dark green lids on household garbage bins will also be changed to red, to help people distinguish between each type of bin. Yellow lidded recycling bins will remain unchanged.
Once the new system is in place, the FOGO bin will be collected weekly and taken to a composting facility. The food material will then be processed to create nutrient rich compost to help improve soils on farms and gardens.
As a result of food waste being disposed of through the FOGO bin, household garbage bins are likely to become less full, and will move to a fortnightly collection.
This new FOGO collection is for all properties, including businesses and community organisations, that currently use Council’s waste and recycling services.
