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Your FOGO bin has a lime green lid. It is collected each week on the same day as your recycling bin. Find your bin day. 

Common contaminants 

If your FOGO bin contains items that cannot be composted, it could result in the entire truckload being sent to landfill. Achieve the best environmental outcome by preventing contamination.

These are the top 7 items that can contaminate your FOGO bin. 

  1. plastics
  2. food packaging
  3. nappies (including compostable types)
  4. pet waste and kitty litter
  5. glass
  6. tin cans and metal
  7. concrete and bricks

What we collect

We collect most food and garden waste. 

Food waste 

We collect most food waste, including:

  • fruit and vegetables - cooked or raw
  • meat and fish - cooked or raw (excluding cooked bones and shellfish shells)
  • dairy products
  • eggs and egg shells
  • bread and cakes
  • rice and pasta 
  • loose tea leaves and coffee grounds (excluding tea bags and coffee pods)
  • spoiled food

Garden waste 

We collect most garden waste, for example:

  • lawn clippings, weeds, leaves and prunings
  • twigs and branches up to 75mm in diameter, cut to fit in the bin

Please keep garden waste loose and not bagged.

Paper waste

Clean and dry paper and cardboard should go into your recycling bin. You can place most soiled cardboard and paper waste into the FOGO bin, including: 

  • newspaper
  • tissues
  • wet and oily paper or cardboard
  • shredded paper

Download list of items accepted in your FOGO bin

  Items accepted in your FOGO bin 56.18 KB [PDF] 1 May 2020

How to put your bin out

    Please put your bin out the night before your collection day:

    • on the naturestrip
    • close to your driveway
    • clear of all obstacles, such as trees, poles and parked cars
    • with the bin handle facing your property.

    Avoiding bin smells 

    Our top tips for avoiding smells in your FOGO bin and caddy:

    • Keep your FOGO bin in the shade.
    • Don't overfill your bin or caddy so that the lid remains securely closed.
    • Tie a knot at the top of your compostable caddy liners to contain your food waste before placing it in the bin.
    • Wrap food waste in a layer of used paper towel or newspaper.
    • Wash your caddy regularly using detergent or eucalyptus oil, or in the dishwasher.
    • Sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in your caddy and FOGO bin to absorb smells. Note: please don’t use any synthetic bin freshener powders or sprays. 
    • Layer food waste between lawn clippings, garden prunings or other garden waste.

    FOGO caddy liners

    The FOGO facility only accepts Council-approved compostable liners. They do not accept any other types of liners or plastic bags, even if they are labelled compostable or biodegradable. These items can contaminate the entire truck load of FOGO material, resulting in the entire load being sent to landfill. 

    When you commence FOGO, we will provide you with a one year supply (150) of approved caddy liners. This works out at 2-3 liners per week.

    Our caddy liners are made from 100% corn starch. 

    If you started FOGO in May 2020 we will send you another annual supply of liners between March and April 2021. 

    If you use up the one year supply early or would like larger liners, you can buy them from various suppliers. 

     Caddy liner requirements

    Caddy liners must be: 

    • lime/light green in colour
    • compostable 
    • made from 100% corn starch 
    • 8L in size - this size fits the Council-supplied 7L kitchen caddy 
    • display both AS4736 and AS5810 symbols (see below)
    AS 5810 and AS 4736 logos

     

    Examples of accepted liners

    The following are examples of products you can buy which meet the requirements:

    • 8 litre Compost-A-Pak liners - available from Compost-A-Pak
    • BioBag 8 litre rolls - available from BioBag
    • Maze 9 litre Slim Compostable Bags (Item # 4520314) - available at Bunnings Warehouse
    • Multix Greener Mini Plant Based Compostable Bags - available at Woolworths
    • Cardia Compostable 8 litre Kitchen Tidy Bags - available from Cardia Bioproducts
       

    Caddy liner alternatives

    • use paper towels or newspaper to line your caddy or wrap food waste
    • use no liner

    Order a second or larger FOGO bin

    If you need more space in your FOGO bin, you can:

    • Upsize your 120 litre bin to a 240 litre bin. There is a one-off $129.50 fee.
    • Order a second 240 litre FOGO bin. There is a one-off $129.50 fee.

    Download the form below and return it to us. 

    Download FOGO bin order form

      FOGO bin order form 527.13 KB [PDF] 4 August 2020

    Bin collection on public holidays

    Bins are collected as usual on all public holidays, except Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Good Friday. An alternative collection day will be advertised prior to these days.

    More information

    To learn more about how our FOGO collection works, see our FOGO information page.

    For more information, contact our Customer Service team on 9278 4444 or at [email protected].

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