Celebrating FOGO success thanks to community efforts
Published: 05 Aug 2022 9:50am
Wagga Wagga City Council has praised local residents for their help in converting household waste into reusable compost through increased usage of food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bins.
FOGO bins are providing a solution to towering piles of rubbish in landfills, instead converting household waste into reusable compost.
Gregadoo Waste Management Centre Support Officer Tammie Cook thanked residents for their dedicated used of FOGO bins and disposing of leftovers mindfully.
“As a community, together we have diverted 52,000 tonnes of FOGO from landfill since the three bins system was introduced in 2018,” Ms Cook said.
“FOGO waste is sorted by hand to remove prohibited items such as nappies and plastics.
“The material is then shredded and turned into professionally-made compost that helps our farmers maintain healthy soil to grow crops.
“The final product is used primarily in primary production from fruit and nuts to broadacre crops.”
It also goes to a few nurseries for landscape and garden use.
Ms Cook reminds people that while we are seeing a reduction in contamination rates in our FOGO waste collection, there is still room for improvement.
“Common contaminates in the green lid bin waste collections are soft plastics such as plastic bags and food packaging.”
The ‘Let’s Get Our Scrap Together’ FOGO education campaign recently launched in Wagga Wagga with the help of funding from a NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) grant of $10,000.
Ms Cook said early feedback suggests the education campaign is proving successful.
“The campaign aims to help residents understand the environmental benefits of recycling food waste, and how small changes can make a big impact,” she said.
"As a community, we need to get our scrap together and be recovering all of our available food waste in the green lid bin for recycling.”
To find out more on how you can get your scrap together, head to wagga.nsw.gov.au/wasteguides
FOGO FAQ’s
Q. I have run out of the green compostable liners. Where can I get some more?
A. Wagga Wagga residents who get a waste service receive a delivery of liners once a year. If you run out and need more, you can visit our Customer Service counter and get a roll for no extra charge.
Q. The supermarket sells biodegradable and recyclable bin liners. Can I put these in the FOGO bin?
A. No. Only compostable liners can go in the FOGO bin. All soft plastics go in the general waste red lid bin or can be recycled through the REDcycle scheme.
Q. I often run out of room in my red lid bin. What can I do about this?
A. Many items can be separated into the three bin system. Use our A-Z guide on our website to help sort your waste. If you still run out of room, you can upsize your general waste red lid bin to a 240L or get an additional bin, for a fee.
Q. How can I find out what waste can go in what bin?
A. Please visit our website where you will find the A-Z guide on what goes where. If your item is not there, you can call our waste education officer on 1300 292 442.