Food scrap recycling a success in Wagga

Wagga residents are doing their part for the environment by converting household waste into compost.

Wagga City Council has praised the locals for using the food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bins.

The FOGO bins help cull the piles of rubbish in landfills by converting household waste into reusable compost.

Gregadoo Waste Management Centre support officer Tammie Cook acknowledged the residents’ dedicated use of the FOGO bins and thanked the locals for properly disposing of the leftovers.

“As a community, together we have diverted 52,000 tonnes of FOGO from landfill since the three-bins system was introduced in 2018,” Ms Cook said.

“FOGO waste is sorted by hand to remove prohibited items such as nappies and plastics.

“The material is then shredded and turned into professionally made compost that helps our farmers maintain healthy soil to grow crops.”

Ms Cook said the final product was used mainly in primary production, from fruit and nuts to broadacre crops. It also went to several nurseries for landscaping and garden use.

Ms Cook said there was still plenty of room for improvement despite the reduction in contamination rates in the FOGO waste collection.

“Common contaminates in the green-lid bin waste collections are soft plastics such as plastic bags and food packaging,” she said.

With the help of a NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) grant of $10,000, the Let’s Get Our Scrap Together FOGO education campaign was recently launched in Wagga.

Ms Cook said the campaign was proving successful from early feedback.

“The campaign aims to help residents understand the environmental benefits of recycling food waste, and how small changes can make a big impact,” she said.

“As a community, we need to get our scrap together and be recovering all of our available food waste in the green-lid bin for recycling.”

FOGO FAQs

Q. I have run out of the green compostable liners. Where can I get some more?
A. Wagga Wagga residents who have a waste service receive a delivery of liners once a year. If you run out and need more, you can visit the customer service counter and obtain a roll for no extra charge.

Q. The supermarket sells biodegradable and recyclable bin liners. Can I put these in the FOGO bin?
A. No. Only compostable liners can go in the FOGO bin. All soft plastics go in the general waste red-lid bin or can be recycled through the REDcycle scheme.

Q. I often run out of room in my red-lid bin. What can I do about this?
A. Many items can be separated into the three-bin system. Use the A-Z guide on the council’s website to help sort your waste. If you still run out of room, you can upsize your general waste red-lid bin to a 240-litre version or get an additional bin, for a fee.

Q. How can I find out what waste can go in what bin?
A. Please visit our website, where you will find the A-Z guide on what goes where. If your item is not there, you can call our waste education officer on 1300 292 442.