FOGO

The less material we send to landfill, the better for the environment and our community. 

Across Perth and Peel, waste audits show that most of what households put in red-lid general waste bins does not need to be there. On average:

• Around 50 per cent is food and garden waste
• About 17 per cent is recyclable
• Around seven per cent is hazardous or unsuitable for kerbside bins
• Only around 26 per cent is actual general waste.

This shows that a large portion of what currently goes into red-lid bins can be better managed through recycling and FOGO.

Diverting this organic material from landfill and processing it into compost helps us achieve a circular economy, reduce methane emissions and improve the quality of our soils. 

Sending less waste to landfill also helps reduce disposal costs over time. This supports a more efficient waste service and helps manage long-term cost pressures for the City and the community.

If you live in an apartment or unit with individual kerbside bins, you will move to the three-bin service like other households. The FOGO team will be in contact with your strata manager to assess the needs of your apartment.

Your new system will include a:

• Lime-green lid FOGO bin
• Red-lid general waste bin
• Yellow-lid recycling bin
• Kitchen caddy with two rolls of certified compostable liners.

Using the FOGO bin for food scraps and garden waste reduces the amount of waste going into your red-lid bin and helps make better use of your available bin space.

Where apartments have shared storage compounds, the FOGO team will communicate with the strata manager to determine the best bin configuration for the complex.

Once FOGO rolls out in your area, you will place two bins on your verge each week. 

The lime-green lid FOGO bin will be collected weekly. The yellow-lid recycling bin and red-lid general waste bin will be collected on alternate fortnights.

Find your bin days 
 

FOGO waste is taken to a FOGO waste processing facility. The waste will be checked for contamination (items that don’t belong in the food and garden waste bin) and will go through a rigorous composting process. This process creates different grades of compost and mulch (made from larger garden-waste material).

From the facility, the compost and mulch can then be used across the City in farms, parks, gardens and land rehabilitation projects.

Although some items may be labelled as compostable or biodegradable, they are not accepted in the FOGO bin. 

These items take longer to break down than the total FOGO composting process allows for. They are also lined with PFAS, a ‘forever’ chemical that repels oil and water, and helps insulate heat.

For more information on how to correctly sort your waste, visit recycleright.wa.gov.au.

You will receive a small kitchen caddy as part of the FOGO rollout when your lime-green lid FOGO bin is delivered. The caddy is used to collect food scraps in your kitchen before emptying them into your FOGO bin.

To help prevent smells, empty your caddy into your FOGO bin every few days or as needed.

If you prefer, you can collect meat scraps separately and store them in the freezer until bin collection day.

You will receive two rolls of compostable kitchen caddy liners with your new caddy. Each roll contains 75 liners.

Need to replace your caddy or pick up more liners? Visit the City’s administration building or a library near you with a valid ID showing your address. Alternatively, pick up certified compostable liners from the supermarket.

Please note that “biodegradable” or “recycled plastic” bags are not compostable and should not be used in the FOGO caddy.

Your kitchen caddy can also be used unlined.

Compostable liners are made from natural materials designed to easily break down, without compromising the quality of the final product. This does mean they need to be handled differently from plastic or biodegradable bags, which are hardier.

• Use compostable liners within 12 months of purchase or by their indicated expiry date
• Keep the liners in a cool, dark place
• When exposed to liquid, the liners will break down quicker. To avoid this, replace the liners every two to three days. 

The liners can break if overfilled. Try to change the liners before the bag is full to avoid this from occurring. You can also carry the kitchen caddy to the bin and empty the tied bag straight into the lime-green lid FOGO bin.

The lime-green lid FOGO bin is collected weekly to help prevent smells from building up. Odours and smells from food waste are common, particularly in warmer weather, which speeds up the breakdown process. 

You can reduce odours in between collections by:

• Emptying your kitchen caddy every few days
• Keeping your kitchen caddy clean (it is dishwasher safe)
• Keep food scraps that tend to smell, such as fish bones, in the freezer until the night before bin collection
• Sprinkle bi-carb soda on top of food waste
• Using compostable kitchen caddy liners
• Adding dry materials such as leaves to the bottom of your FOGO bin
• Storing your FOGO bin in a cool, shady spot with the lid closed where possible
• Washing your bins occasionally with vinegar and water
• Put your bin out for collection every time, even if it isn’t full.

If your red-lid general waste bin contains nappies, sanitary products or medical waste, odours can be reduced by:

• Where possible, emptying nappy contents into the toilet before wrapping the nappy into itself and then tightly into a nappy sack or bag to contain the odou
• Wrapping waste in newspaper or used food packaging, such as bread bags
• Using reusable sanitary products or cloth nappies where suitable.

To help prevent flies and pests:

• Tie rubbish bags tightly
• Keep bin lids closed
• Rinse bins regularly in warmer months
• Use natural cleaning products or repellents such as eucalyptus or tea tree oil if needed.

All used nappies, including compostable, biodegradable and conventional nappies, go in the red-lid general waste bin.

Nappies cannot go in the FOGO bin because human waste cannot be processed into compost.

To help reduce smells from used nappies:

• Empty nappy contents into the toilet before placing the nappy in the bin
• Wrap nappies in a nappy bag or reuse food packaging such as bread bags
• Store your red-lid bin in the shade where possible
• Tie rubbish bags tightly
• Rinse your bin occasionally, especially in warmer months.

If your bin is cracked or damaged, please contact the City for repair or replacement.

If you already compost at home or use a worm farm, you can continue doing this as normal. 

Any food you do not currently compost (such as meat, seafood, bones, citrus, dairy products) can go in your FOGO bin, so you can further reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfill.