FOGO stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics. It refers to the weekly collection of food scraps and garden organics. This material is then taken to a facility to be turned into compost.
Waste audits have revealed that approximately 56% of material in the general waste bins is organic. The introduction of a FOGO bin will divert organics from landfill where they can be composted.
The introduction of FOGO is supported by the State Government, Federal Government, and the City of Belmont. Western Australia’s Waste Strategy includes the goal of introducing a FOGO bin in every local government area in the Perth and Peel region by 2025.
The Three Bin System will be coming in 2024.
The City is currently going out tender for FOGO processing and will be able to provide more detail on the dates that FOGO will come once the contract is awarded.
Follow our FOGO journey on the Belmont Connect Three Bin System project page.
'if it didn't live or grow, it isn't FOGO!'
Your
lime green lidded FOGO bin is for food scraps, garden waste, paper products and compostable liners provided by the Council. This includes:
- Bread and dairy
- Fruit and vegetables
- Meat, bones and seafood
- Pruning and leaves
- Animal waste, kitty litter, paper towels, serviettes and tissues
Your
yellow lidded Recycling bin is for clean, empty recyclables with the lids removed. This includes:
- Glass bottles and jars
- Cardboard
- Plastic bottles and containers
- Steel and aluminium cans
Your
red lidded General Waste bin is for items that can't be recycled or composted. This includes:
- General rubbish items
- Hygiene products
- Nappies
- Plastic Bags
- Polystyrene and soft plastic
To find out which bin to put specific items in, head to the Recycle Right guides below:
Read the Recycle Right 3-bin Guide
Visit the Recycle Right Materials A-Z Guide
The FOGO material will be taken to a composting facility. The material will be screened, and contamination will be removed before the material is composted.
Composting, worm farms and feeding scraps to chickens are all fantastic options for the environment and we encourage residents to continue to use these options.
Residents can still use their FOGO bin for organic materials not suitable for composting such as meat, seafood and excess gardening waste.
The majority of waste the City collects is food and garden organics, an estimated 56% of the waste bin.
Providing an additional bin increases the total waste disposal capacity by 70 litres per household per week, assuming the waste is properly sorted.
Most smelly items that attract pests are organic materials that go in the FOGO bin, which will be collected weekly.
There are also a number of ways to reduce bin odours, including:
- Ensuring your bin lids are properly closed
- Rinsing or washing your kerbside bins out every few months.
- Putting your bins out for collection even when they are not full
- If possible, keep your bins in the shade
- Freeze meat or seafood scraps and place them in the bin on collection day
- Dry out gardening waste before placing it in the bin to reduce the moisture content
- Place a small amount of baking soda or kitty litter in your FOGO bin after it is emptied
There will likely be a process to request a bigger bin for households who need it. More information will be available closer to the FOGO rollout.
Here are some tips to reduce odours from nappies:
- Switching to cloth nappies can reduce odours and free up capacity in your waste bin. The City provides a subsidy for cloth nappies. Find out more and apply for a rebate here.
- Empty hard contents of nappies into the toilet before placing in the waste bin.
- Place a small amount of baking soda or kitty litter in the waste bin after it is emptied to reduce odour.
The new general waste bin is a smaller 140 litre size with an additional footprint of approximately 50cm.
If you are concerned there won’t be space on your property, you can call us on 9477 7222 or email fogo@belmont.wa.gov.au for assistance and advice.
Most multi unit dwellings with a shared service will be excluded from the initial FOGO rollout. Instead a waste education officer will engage with each Multi Unit Dwelling individually and find individual solutions for each property.
At this time, commercial properties are not being considered for a FOGO service.
No. The three bin system will be the standard household waste service across the City.
If you have more questions, you can get in touch via email at fogo@belmont.wa.gov.au or call us on (08) 9477 7222 during business hours.
To learn more about FOGO, you can check out the resources below:
What is FOGO? Recycling Right
Earth-cycling - Waste Sorted