Households in the City of Bayswater have collected 7,000 tonnes of organics since the City rolled out the Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) bin system in March.
Under the three-bin FOGO system, food scraps and garden organics are separated into the green-lidded bin and collected weekly, while the general waste and recycling kerbside bins are collected on alternate fortnights. The contents of the FOGO bin are taken to the Red Hill Waste Management Facility, operated by the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council, and is turned into quality compost.
City of Bayswater Mayor Filomena Piffaretti said the results were a promising start to the City’s waste minimisation journey.
“Before introducing the FOGO three bin system, at this time last year, around 85 per cent of household waste collected between red-lidded general waste bins and green-lidded garden waste bins, was general waste. Now, only 45 per cent of household waste is general waste that is placed in the red-lidded bin.
“This puts us in a great position to meet the State Government’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 targets to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill; and recover, reuse and recycle more household waste. It also aligns with the City’s Waste Plan, which ensures the City responsibly and appropriately manages and reduces waste.
“We would like to thank the community for adapting so quickly to the new system, and for diligently separating their waste correctly. It’s important we keep contamination rates at processing facilities low, to ensure waste can be reused and recycled, avoiding landfill wherever possible.
“Results from the City’s annual Customer Perception Survey showed the community was happy with how it smoothly transitioned to the new bin system earlier this year. Results showed more than 85 per cent of people were satisfied with the information they received about how FOGO works, materials supplied and the frequency of bin collection.
“Residents who are approaching the end of their roll of kitchen caddy liners can collect their next roll from the City’s Civic Centre or libraries. The City provides two free rolls per household per year.”