FOGO stands for food organics garden organics. This is the green lid bin that accepts food waste and garden waste and is emptied weekly.
As part of the roll out we supplied households with a kitchen caddy.
Make sure you only use compostable bin liners in this caddy, not plastic bags.
If you choose to purchase additional liners please ensure they are certified compostable and display this symbol:
Why did the City implement FOGO?
Around 55% of rubbish in our green topped bins was organic – food and garden waste. A FOGO bin system has major impact on diverting our rubbish from landfill and a great leap towards our target of zero waste to landfill by 2028.
In 2020, the City submitted an application to participate in the Better Bins Plus: Go FOGO program. We were successful in receiving grant funding from the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Account towards our FOGO roll-out.
Go FOGO program is an initiative of the Government of Western Australia, delivered by the Waste Authority. The program supports local governments to provide better practice three‑bin kerbside collection systems with a separate food organics and garden organics (FOGO) service.
Better Bins Plus supports a headline commitment in Western Australia’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 (WARR) to roll out a consistent three‑bin kerbside collection system, which includes separation of FOGO from other waste categories, by all local governments in the Perth and Peel regions by 2025.
I live in an apartment/unit. How does FOGO work for me?
For people living in a unit or apartment complex where bins are shared, the City conducted site visits to determine how many of each of the three bins are required for your unit complex based on the size of the units and current bin usage. Most complexes received the FOGO system in early 2022.
Strata managers have been contacted and informed of the changes and are responsible for circulating the information onto the tenants. The City is
Waste educational material have been distributed to residents to help with the transition to FOGO.
For more waste education please contact your strata manager or the City's waste and recycling team.
Will the FOGO system be rolled out to businesses?
No. the FOGO waste collections are for residential properties only.
I already compost, use bokashi or have a worm farm at home. Do I need a FOGO lime green bin?
We encourage residents to continue using your compost bin, bokashi bin or worm farm. You can use your FOGO bin for items you can’t put in your home compost bin such as bones, meat and seafood and excess garden waste. If you use bokashi, you can put the waste material from the bokashi bin into the FOGO bin after it has fermented (if you have nowhere to bury it).
What can I line my kitchen caddy with?
You can line your kitchen caddy with certified compostable bag liners, newspaper or go nude, with no lining at all!
You don’t have to use bags – you can put things straight in the bin or wrap them in newspaper. If you use bags, they HAVE to be compostable - not biodegradable, not part plant based, not recycled plastic. Households are provided 2 free rolls of compostable bags every financial year in their Waste & Recycling Guide.
If you choose to purchase additional liners please ensure they are certified compostable and display this symbol:
How do I get my free compostable caddy liners?
Each property is entitled to 2 x free rolls of liners per financial year. Please visit the City of Vincent Administration building, 244 Vincent Street, Leederville. Please bring your ID or a recent rates notice for proof of residency.
Is my caddy dishwasher safe?
Yes, your caddy can be placed in the bottom shelf of your dishwasher. Just remember to pop the lid off the caddy to avoid fading of the stamped sorting image on the top.
Can I use plastic bags for my FOGO?
No! Please don’t use plastic bags as they are our biggest contaminator.
The only bags going into your FOGO bin need to be certified compostable to Australian standards.
Recycled. degradable and biodegradable bags are not suitable for composting either – the bags need to be 100% compostable.
Compostable bags will break down in the FOGO processing facility, leaving none of the chemical or toxin residue found in plastic.
Ensure your compostable bags have one of the following symbols for Australian Standards for compostable bags.
What happens to the waste in the FOGO bin?
FOGO material is be taken to a regional composting site. The material is checked for contamination and then undergo a combination of static and forced air composting processes.
The compost produced from FOGO material can be sold to farmers and industry, used in parks and gardens or for rehabilitating land. The potential uses for the compost will be determined by contamination levels.
How can I reduce smells, insects and pests in my FOGO bin?
To minimise odours always ensure that the lids on your bins are properly closed. Research has shown that odours peak after four days and don’t get noticeably better or worse. Washing your bin out with detergent and a broom can also help to alleviate odours.
The lime green lid FOGO bin will be collected weekly so it shouldn’t smell any more than your rubbish bin does now. Your red lid rubbish bin will be collected fortnightly. Most items that cause odours can go in the FOGO bin, with a couple of exceptions, such as disposable nappies and sanitary items.
Here are some additional tips in reducing smell in your new FOGO bin:
- Be sure to put your FOGO bin out every week, even if it’s not full.
- Wrapping food scraps in newspaper can help reduce smells.
- Layering food waste with dry materials, like leaves, shredded paper and soiled cardboard will help absorb liquids.
- If possible, allow lawn clippings and garden cuttings to dry out to prevent moisture build up.
- Freeze particularly odorous food scraps, like seafood and meat, and put them in the organics bin the night before collection.
- Keep your bins in the shade and ensure lids can properly close by not overfilling the bin.
- Hang a small mesh bag (like a jewellery bag) filled with a clay based kitty litter from the bin handle into the bin to help absorb smells.
- Sprinkle baking soda, kitty litter or lemon juice in the bin after empty to reduce odours.
I have multiple kids in nappies, the bin is going to stink and overflow! Can I opt out/keep my 240L general waste bin/have it picked up weekly?
Waste audits undertaken in 2018 have shown that more than approximately 55% of general waste bin contents were recoverable organic food and garden waste, 14% were recyclables, leaving about 31% residual general waste. Although the general waste bin is smaller (140L), after separating out our organics and recyclables with the new 3 bin system, residents will have 50% more capacity in the new red lid general waste bin.
To minimise odours always ensure that the lids on your bins are properly closed. Research has shown that odours peak after four days and don’t get noticeably better or worse. Washing your bin out with detergent and a broom can also help to alleviate odours. Most items that cause odours can go in the FOGO bin, with a couple of exceptions, such as disposable nappies and sanitary items. Emptying the poo down the toilet and securing the nappy in a plastic bag will minimise odours.
Here are some additional tips in reducing smell in your general waste bin.
- Keep your bins in the shade and ensure lids can properly close by not overfilling the bin.
- Empty poo from the nappies into the toilet before wrapping the nappy and putting it in the bin
- Hang a small mesh bag (like a jewellery bag) filled with a clay based kitty litter from the bin handle into the bin to help absorb smells.
- Sprinkle baking soda, kitty litter or lemon juice in the bin after empty to reduce odours.
City of Vincent is also a part of the Switch Your Thinking Modern Cloth Nappy subsidy scheme that provides City of Vincent Residents with a subsidised Cloth Nappy Library Program. Please contact the Waste and Recycling team for more information and keep an eye out on socials for the latest workshops available!
For households producing excess waste and struggling with their new general waste bin due to nappies, the City is offering site visits with a Waste Officer to assist residents with optimising their bin capacity. Please call the City on 9273 6000 or email [email protected] for further assistance.
Can I put bioplastics into my FOGO bin? ie. Compostable coffee cups, biodegradable cutlery
Although some bioplastics may be marked compostable or biodegradable, they aren’t accepted in the FOGO bin. This is due to the fact they look identical to the plastic based equivalent and cannot be differentiated in the sorting process. Many solid bioplastics like cutlery also take longer to breakdown than the total FOGO composting process allows for (approx. 6 weeks).
Bioplastics should be placed in your red lid general waste bin. Please opt for a reusable alternative like a keep cup or reusable cutlery set whenever possible.
My recycling bin is always full, can I have this collected weekly?
There are presently no plans to increase collection of recycling bins to weekly. Ensure you are sorting your waste correctly into each of your bins to maximise available space. Flatten cardboard boxes and put them along the inside edge of the bin to save room. Please ensure recyclables are loose in the bin and not in plastic bags. If your recycling bin is full, the City currently offers a larger 360 litre recycling bin for a small additional charge.
For more information on what goes in your recycling bin, please refer to our webpage: What goes in the Recycling Bin