FOGO bin (lime-green lid)
All food scraps and leftovers go in this bin along with your lawn clippings, leaves, prunings and small branches. This is called a FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) collection.
Your FOGO bin is collected weekly in urban areas, and fortnightly in rural areas.
The food scraps and garden organics collected in your FOGO bin are composted at a commercial facility in Shepparton. The compost is spread on farms and orchards to improve the soils that grow our food.
When organic material is not composted and is sent to landfill instead, it adds pressure on our limited landfill space and causes methane – a harmful greenhouse gas – to build up in our environment.
What's accepted in my FOGO bin?
In accordance with Council's waste strategies, the following items are accepted in your FOGO bin:
FROM THE KITCHEN
Ash (cold)
Baked goods e.g. cakes, biscuits, deserts
Bones (but not large dog bones)
Bread
Butter & margarine
Cakes
Cereals and grains
Cheese
Chicken, turkey & duck carcases (raw & cooked)
Chocolate
Citrus peelings
Coffee grounds
Compostable bags (only bags supplied, or approved by Council)
Dairy products e.g. ice cream, cheese, yoghurt
Eggs & egg shells
Expired foods (remove all packaging first)
Fire ash (cold)
Fish bones
Food scraps
Fruit peelings
Garlic
Hair: human & pet
Leftovers
Meat (raw & cooked)
Nuts & seeds
Onions raw & cooked)
Out-of-date food (remove all packaging)
Pasta
Pet food
Plate scrapings
Rice
Salads & dressings
Seafood e.g. crab, prawns, lobster, crayfish, oyster shells, peelings
Takeaway food leftovers
Tea leaves
Vegetable peelings
Yoghurt
FROM THE GARDEN
Agapanthus (incl flowers, seeds, stems and roots)
Branches (small branches only - up to 10cm diameter)
Flowers
Grass clippings
Lawn clippings
Leaves
Plants
Prunings & cuttings
Thorny branches
Twigs & sticks
Weeds and weed seeds
If you can't find your item above, search the A-Z guide.
Still can't find your item?
Contact us now for advice
What's not accepted in my FOGO bin?
FOGO Tips
1. Keep a container on your benchtop to collect ALL your food scraps.
Any bowl or container will do, or you can buy a kitchen caddy from Council for $11 at:
- the Council office in Torquay, 1 Merrijig Drive (open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm)
TIP: Empty your caddy into the kerbside FOGO bin (lime-green lid) every 2-3 days to stop any smells. A quick rinse, or wipe with a sheet of paper towel will also help.
2. Line your caddy with a sheet of paper towel
Using a compostable bag inside your caddy is optional. A sheet of paper towel in the bottom of the caddy, or a quick rinse after emptying will work just as well.
Rolls of compostable bags (one roll per household) are available for free pick-up from transfer stations and some Council facilities. The bags have a shelf life of around 12 months, so stocking up with multiple rolls is not recommended.
TIP: Food scraps can go in your kerbside FOGO bin loose (not in a bag). The food scraps and garden waste are not separated before the composting process, so it doesn’t matter if they get mixed up in the bin.
3. Liners are option, but if you use them they must be 100% certified compostable corn-starch
Only 100% certified compostable corn-starch bags should be used to collect food because they won’t contaminate your FOGO bin, and will fully decompose.
To avoid contaminating the FOGO stream, use the bags supplied by Council and available from transfer stations and other Council facilities.
Even though these bags are compostable, there are resources involved to produce and transport them, so minimise their use when you can.
The following brands are NOT APPROVED because they did not fully break down during testing at the compost facility, or they contain plastic:
DO NOT use plastic bags, or bags labelled as degradable, biodegradable, or less than 100% corn starch. They do not fully decompose and can contaminate the contents of your FOGO bin and the mulch produced.
FAQs about the caddies and bags
FAQs about your FOGO bin