Canberrans in selected Belconnen suburbs have started receiving their Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) welcome packs and kitchen caddies ahead of the first FOGO bin collections on Monday 22 November.
“We’re getting on with delivering our election commitment to trial a FOGO collection service in Belconnen before rolling out the scheme to the rest of Canberra,” said Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel.
Residents will now have information packs on ‘how to FOGO’, a kitchen caddy to put food scraps in, a supply of compostable liners for their caddy and an updated bin collection calendar. Lime-green lidded FOGO bins will also be sent to households that don’t have a green waste bin.
The pilot suburbs of Belconnen, Bruce, Cook and Macquarie will have their FOGO bin collected every week and their rubbish bin will move to a fortnightly collection. This is how FOGO services operate across Australia.
“We know it will take some time for people to get used to their new bin collection dates. It’s important all households who receive an updated collection calendar take the time to understand the changes and how these will affect them,” said Minister Steel.
“I encourage residents to keep the calendar on the fridge to let everyone in the household know about the changes. If you live in a house or apartment complex taking part in the pilot, and haven’t received your pack yet, you will receive it in the next two weeks before the pilot commences.
“The FOGO service will help Canberrans to take everyday action on climate change by removing organics from local landfill and turning household garbage into nutrient-rich compost. This has the potential to reduce Canberra’s waste emissions by up to 30 per cent.
“This pilot will also help us better understand contamination rates and how a FOGO collection service can be implemented successfully across individual households and multi-unit developments before we roll this out to the rest of Canberra.
“In the coming weeks we will work closely with residents to support their transition to the FOGO service and continue to work with them once the pilot has commenced,” Minister Steel said.
Through the FOGO service Canberrans can compost a range of materials beyond regular green waste and food scraps, including meat and bones. The pilot also includes apartments buildings to ensure residents who don’t have access to backyard composting can participate.
What goes in a FOGO bin?
- Leftovers and cooked food
- Yogurt, cheese and eggs
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Meat/fish scraps and bones
- Bread, grains cereals
- Certified compostable liners
- Grass clippings
- Pruning, cuttings, trimmings
- Twigs and sticks
- Palm fronds
- Weeds
What doesn’t go in a FOGO bin?
- Plastic bags
- Tea bags
- Animal droppings
- Cat litter
- Hair
- Paper
- Tissues and paper towel
- Oyster shells
- Plastic products
- Sanitary products
- Treated timber
- Metals
- Glass
- Textiles and old clothes
And remember – if in doubt, leave it out.
