Green lidded Bin

FOGO stands for Food Organics Garden Organics and is the name given to the green lidded kerbside collection service that is for the collection of food and garden waste materials.

In June 2021, the NSW Government mandated that all Councils must provide a FOGO kerbside collection service by 2030, as part of their 20-year ‘NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041’.

Council was also successful in obtaining Go FOGO Grant funding from the EPA to support the implementation of this service.

You will receive the new bins, kitchen caddy, kitchen caddy liners and an information pack between 17 June 2024 and 30 June 2024.

The new bin service will commence in the first week of July, as per your usual collection day.

The first week of collection will include the new green lidded bin and the red lidded bin.

The following week's service will be for the green lidded bin and the yellow lidded bin.

The green lidded FOGO bin will be collected weekly.

The red lidded general waste bin will be collected fortnightly.

 The yellow lidded recycling bin will continue to be collected fortnightly on the alternate week to the red lidded general waste bin.

Residents will be pleased to hear that Council is going to be able to implement the third bin without the need for any fee increase to kerbside collection charges (beyond annual CPI).

No. Residents will receive a 240L green lidded bin, a 240L yellow lidded bin, a 240L red lidded bin, a kitchen caddy for food scraps and a years' supply of Council approved kitchen caddy liners.

Please note: 240L is your current bin size.

The kitchen caddy is a clean and easy way to collect your food scraps.

The kitchen caddy and compostable liners will be delivered to you prior to the launch of the service. These will help you sort the organic waste in your home. We suggest that the caddy with a compostable liner inside is placed on the kitchen bench or under the kitchen sink so you can scrape your scraps straight from the chopping board or the plate into it – how easy is that?

What if I run out of caddy liners?

Compostable bags will be made available from Council’s Administration Centre and can also be ordered free of charge by phoning JR Richards on 1300 240 012. Please do not use plastic bags or any other type of biodegradable bag to line your caddy as they are unable to be processed.

ONLY food and garden waste belong in the FOGO bin. All food and vegetable scraps, peelings, leftovers, meat and dairy can go into the green-lidded bin. Garden waste such as grass clippings, leaves and small branches can also be put in the green-lidded bin.

Once collected, the contents of Leeton’s FOGO bins will be processed by WormTech at its Carrathool Composting Facility. This is a carefully managed and monitored process where all material batches are biologically and chemically tested to ensure the highest standards are maintained. WormTech are passionate about diverting organics from Australian landfills and producing high quality biological fertiliser inputs for sustainable farming practices.

Food and garden waste accounts for almost half of the waste materials in an average household red lid general waste bin. This material takes up limited landfill space and creates harmful greenhouse gases when it breaks down. By using your green lid bin for all your food and garden waste, your waste will be turned into a valuable resource instead.

Contamination refers to materials that should not be placed in the green lid FOGO bin. Soft plastics such as plastic bags and food packaging are some of the most common contaminants found in kerbside FOGO bins.

Paper-based products, such as cardboard fast food packaging, serviettes and straws, are not accepted in the green lid FOGO bin as they may contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). PFAS is a forever chemical, which stays in the water, air and soil, and can cause harm to humans. All state governments have agreed that further release of PFAS into the environment should be prevented where practicable. The paper products also provide negligible nutrient value to the compost product.

For more information, visit the NSW EPA website and look up FOGO information for households:
www.epa.nsw.gov.au

Six councils in the Murray and Riverina regions – Berrigan, Edward River, Leeton, Greater Hume, Federation and Murrumbidgee – are introducing the FOGO bin. These six councils all obtained funding to introduce the FOGO bin through the NSW EPA's "Go FOGO" Round 1 grant program. They will join Murray River and Albury City in delivering a consistent waste and recycling message across the Murray and Riverina regions.

The new green lid organics bin can be seen as an extension to the great work you’re already doing. And, the new service can accept things that your compost heap or pet may not like – things such as citrus, onions, bones, weeds and diseased and infected fruit or vegetables.   

As a community we pay for many services as part of our rates that benefit the community, even if every individual resident may not utilise them. Reducing the pressure on landfill and generating a valuable resource for our region’s agricultural industries helps Council to reduce the cost of landfill space into the future.

You will be provided with detailed information about the new 3 bin system in the lead-up to its introduction as well as in an information pack that will be delivered along with your bins and kitchen caddy. In the meantime, you can find further information by phoning Council on 6953 0911 or visiting the Halve Waste website.