From 1 July, residents can put all food scraps into their kerbside green bins as part of Melton City Council’s ‘FOGO’ plan to help halve the amount of waste households send to landfill.
To support residents in getting started, Council will offer a limited number of free kitchen caddies for household food waste disposal. If you have a green bin, visit Council’s website to apply from 1 July.
Under FOGO – Food Organics. Garden Organics. – loose (not bagged) fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, meat, bones, offcuts and leftovers will all be accepted into the green bin. This is in addition to the already accepted garden waste such as grass clippings, branches and weeds.
The FOGO campaign was initiated by Council after an audit last year revealed that about half of the waste thrown into the red bin by a typical City of Melton household was food and garden material.
City of Melton Mayor Cr Lara Carli encouraged residents to start using their green bin for food scraps and to order a green bin if needed.
“Diverting household food scraps from landfill will help halve the amount of waste we send to landfill. This will have a positive and lasting impact on the environment,” she said.
“Simply throwing our food scraps and garden clippings into the green bin is an easy step towards a greener future,” Cr Carli said.
“We’ll not only be reducing greenhouse gas emissions and relieving pressure on landfill space, we’ll also be helping to create compost that gives back to the earth.”
It’s important to note that bags, including compostable bags, will NOT be accepted in the green bin, so please only put loose food scraps in the bin.
Households with green bins can apply for a free kitchen caddy (limited supply) from 1 July. If you don’t have a green bin, you can call Council to order one (service charge applies).
To apply for a kitchen caddy and to learn more about FOGO, visit melton.vic.gov.au/FOGO
