Changes for your FOGO bin
Council’s compost contractor has changed what items you can put in the kerbside FOGO bin (lime-green lid).
These items are no longer accepted in your FOGO bin:
pet poo (even inside 100% compostable bags)
kitty litter (includes litter made from recycled paper or wood)
teabags
tissues & large amounts of paper towel
paper e.g. shredded paper, paper bags, newspaper, wrapping paper etc.
cardboard boxes and packaging
Why has this changed?
Pet poo and kitty litter (that likely contains poo) are biohazards for staff working on the sorting line at the composting facility, while teabags contain microplastics (tiny fragments of plastics) that cannot be removed before the compost is spread on paddocks that grow our food.
Therefore, put ALL pet poo, kitty litter and teabags in your landfill bin (red lid).
Put tissues and shredded paper in your landfill bin (red lid). The tissues and small pieces of shredded paper can’t be sorted correctly at the recycling facility.
Clean paper and cardboard go in your recycling bin (yellow lid) so they can be made into new paper products such as newsprint, office paper, and egg cartons.
What about paper towel used to line my kitchen caddy?
Using a compostable bag in your caddy is optional. A sheet of paper towel at the bottom, or a quick rinse after emptying will work just as well.
The occasional sheet of paper towel is accepted in your FOGO bin, but large amounts of paper products impact the compost process.
What can you put in your FOGO bin?
Your FOGO bin is only for food scraps and leftovers, along with lawn clippings, prunings and small branches.
The contents are the FOGO bin are composted and spread on farms and orchards to improve the soils that grow our food.
Check what's accepted in your FOGO bin.
Follow these tips when using your FOGO bin:
- Remove all plastic and cardboard packaging.
- Remove stickers from fruit and vegetables.
- Keep a container on your benchtop to collect ALL food scraps.
- Only use 100%-certified compostable bags. Pick up a free roll from Council’s office or waste disposal facilities.