FOGO is coming to Randwick City

Did you know that almost 40% of the waste that’s currently thrown out in red-lid bins is food? When food is sent to landfill, greenhouse gases are released into the environment. Starting in March 2021 Council will introduce a new way for residents to recycle food scraps with their garden waste, which will allow us to divert food waste from landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use the waste to create compost that can be used in farms, parks and sportsfields.

It’s called FOGO, which stands for food organics and garden organics.

As part of this new waste collection service, households will receive a new lime green-lid FOGO bin, into which they can throw their garden and food waste. It’s important to note that unlike home compost systems, all food waste can be disposed of in a FOGO bin – citrus foods, bones, dairy, cooked food, paper towels, takeaway food and more.

When we introduce the new FOGO system, it will require one small change on behalf of all our residents. They will need to place food scraps into a kitchen caddy, which we will supply, and dispose of these scraps into the green-lid bin instead of the red-lid bin. After a community consultation held last year, we’re confident this is a direction our residents are happy to go, with majority of residents supporting FOGO as a service.

As a Council, we agree – this is an important service that will allow residents and individuals to have a positive impact on the environment.

Randwick City Council is only the second council in Sydney to introduce FOGO bins. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with the community and become leaders in food waste recycling.