Bin it better with FOGO

There’s no more time to waste; Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bin collection will begin in Baw Baw, South Gippsland and Wellington shires from early July.

Baw Baw and Wellington’s FOGO service will commence on Monday 6 July, while South Gippsland Shire will start from Wednesday 1 July.

From this week, residents can start placing their food scraps into their green-lidded bin with garden trimmings, lawn clippings and more. Residents of each Council should also have a kitchen caddy, which can collect food scraps for emptying into their FOGO bin.  

An extensive list of what can be placed in FOGO bins can be found on each Council’s website:

- Wellington Shire Council: Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO)  

- Baw Baw Shire Council: Food Organics Garden Organics  

- South Gippsland Shire: Food Organics Garden Organics South Gippsland

The Victorian Government is standardising household recycling across Victoria, which includes the introduction of a four-bin waste and recycling system. The Councils are introducing the FOGO service to meet these state government requirements.

Whether residents live in Baw Baw, Wellington or South Gippsland, their bin collection day will not change. However, after the first week of July, green-lidded bins will be picked up weekly, and collection of red-lidded general rubbish bin changes to fortnightly.

Collected food and garden organics will be processed by Pinegro Products in Morwell, transforming waste that would have otherwise been landfilled into valuable compost and soil conditioner.

Baw Baw Shire Mayor Cr Kate Wilson said the commencement of FOGO had been a long time coming and this service was an example of Councils supporting their residents to make sustainable decisions with their waste.

“We know that everyone’s circumstances are different, and this may feel like a big change for some in our community,” Cr Wilson said.

“FOGO is here now, so it’s time to start thinking about what changes we can make to ensure its success and rethink how we dispose of our waste.”

Wellington Shire Council Mayor Cr Cindy Madeley added how great it was to see three local Councils partnering together for such an important initiative.

"We’re really excited to be rolling out FOGO alongside our neighbouring Councils,” Cr Madeley said.

“This joint approach has allowed us to share knowledge, streamline services and deliver a stronger, more sustainable waste solution for our communities.”

South Gippsland Shire Mayor Cr Nathan Hersey said that while this new service would take some adjusting to, the end goal is what it’s all about.

“The new FOGO service will help to reduce waste sent to landfill and provides a way for households to manage food and garden organics,” he said.

“This change will ensure the Councils fulfil the state-mandated waste obligations, and encourage long-term outcomes that will divert waste from landfill.”

Each Council has developed an extensive set of Frequently Asked Questions, which can be found on their respective websites.

For more information on the standardised waste service, visit Standardising household recycling across Victoria.

Those who have not received their kitchen caddy or green bins by the end of June should contact their respective Council’s Customer Service Team.

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