FOGO (Food Organics, Garden Organics)

Remember, if it didn’t grow, it doesn’t go in your FOGO bin.

• ALL food scraps (including dairy, meat, bones, seafood, fruit and vegetable scraps)
• Lawn clippings
• Small cuttings, prunings and branches (up to 15cm wide x 60cm long)
• Weeds
• Cut flowers
• Sawdust
• Tissues & paper towel
• Hair and nail clippings
• Egg cartons
• Egg & oyster shells
• Coffee grounds
• Tea leaves & tea bags
• Pet waste (please place in a compostable bag or newspaper)
• Pizza boxes, compostable paper and cardboard food packaging
• Compostable cups and cutlery
• Compostable kitchen caddy liners (as supplied by council)
• Shredded paper, post-it notes and small peices of paper
• Newspaper

If it didn’t grow, it doesn’t go- that’s the rule for the food and garden organics bin.

• Plastic bags and other soft plastics
• Plastic packaged food, please ensure food is free of any packaging
• Textiles: clothing, footwear and bedding
  
• Building material, dirt or rocks

Keep your green bin smelling sweet…even in the heat!

• Line your bin. Line your bin to stop food sticking to the bottom of the bin. Use newspaper, shredded paper, cardboard (remove any plastic packaging tape first), pizza boxes, egg cartons, dry leaves, or garden clippings before you place food scraps in.
• Layer it – like a lasagne! Alternate layers of lawn clippings, leaves, shredded paper and newspaper between the food scraps to reduce odours and moisture.
• Leave the lid open. On warm sunny days, open the lid of your green bin to allow for aeration and drying of material.
• Put your green bin out for collection every fortnight, even if it isn’t full.
• Keep your green bin in the shade.
• Don’t overfill your bin, make sure the lid is closed properly.
• Wash your bin out from time to time using a high pressure hose and mild detergent.

How to detract insects and rodents

Overripe, rotting or decayed fruit and vegetables can attract small vinegar flies and other insects to your kitchen caddy and green bin. In addition to the above, the following tips can further prevent insects and rodents from becoming a problem:

• Eat ripened fruit and vegetables promptly or put them in the fridge until you can use them.
• Clean up any spills or mess around your caddy or green waste bin.
• Wrap rotten food in newspaper or paper towel and put it straight into your green bin or freeze in a separate container and put in your green bin the night before collection.
• Spray lavender or mint oil around the base of your kitchen caddy and green bin. This will help to deter vinegar flies in your kitchen caddy as well as flies, rats and mice around your green bin.

Composting green organics is great for our environment. Most of the greenhouse gas emissions from landfill come from decomposing organic material which could be recycled through the green bin. Not only do green organics produce methane as they decompose, but their nutrients remain locked in landfill and can’t be used again to grow plants and food. Compost can be used in gardens as a soil conditioner and slow release fertiliser. Compost can be used to fertilise gardens, farms and sporting fields and the mulch can be used to protect against weeds, reduce plant stress and save water in gardens, parks, orchards and vineyards.

Composting and mulching food and garden organics is 85% cheaper than sending them to landfill. If we reduce the amount of material sent to landfill then councils can pass on these savings to residents and invest in other community services.

Residents who are subscribed to the green waste/FOGO (food organics, garden organics) service are encouraged to place food scraps into their green organics bin. This food can be thrown directly into the bin or placed in a kitchen caddy. Each household that opts into the FOGO service will receive a free kitchen caddy and compostable kitchen caddy bags to encourage greater diversion of food waste from landfill.

Rolls of compostable kitchen caddy bags are available at most major supermarkets including Woolworths and Coles and hardware stores or online. Bags must be labelled compostable, not biodegradable.

Keep your kitchen caddy and green bin smelling sweet…even in the heat!

• Empty your caddy when full or every 2-3 days and rinse it after each use. Empty it more regularly during warmer weather. For a more thorough clean you can use dish detergent or pop it in your dishwasher.
• Place dry materials such as tissues, paper towel, paper serviettes, shredded paper, toilet paper rolls, brown paper bags and compostable food packaging in the kitchen caddy to soak up odour and moisture.
• Freeze seafood, meat and dairy scraps until your collection day, then place them straight into your green bin the night before your collection.
• Sprinkle bi-carbonate (baking) soda on top of food scraps.
• Use a ventilated caddy lined with a breathable compostable BioBag or open the lid to allow for airflow.