Council set to commence FOGO trial
Published on 20 January 2022
In February, Burwood Council will commence a Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) trial with a select number of households in the Burwood LGA. Food and garden waste accounts for almost half of the waste materials in an average Burwood household red-lid general waste bin. This material takes up landfill space and creates harmful greenhouse gases when it breaks down.
From late February, residents who have been invited to participate in the FOGO trial will be able to place all their food waste, in addition to their garden waste, into their current green-lid bin. The FOGO will be collected weekly and taken to a separate processing facility where the materials will be turned into a valuable resource instead of ending up in landfill.
The FOGO trial will only include select households that have their bins collected on a Wednesday and these households will be notified by letter. A resources and information pack will also be delivered to their door to assist with the separation of food from general waste during the trial period.
Food organics refers to all types of food waste, such as those generated during meal preparation, plate scrapings and food past its use-by-date. Garden organics (or ‘green waste’) refers to materials generated in the garden, such as grass clippings, leaves, twigs, prunings and weeds.
Mayor John Faker explains that trialling a FOGO service in Burwood aligns with the targets set by the NSW Government as part of their 20-year Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041.
“The NSW government have mandated that all councils must provide a FOGO kerbside collection service by 2030, “Cr Faker said.
When fully implemented, Burwood’s FOGO service will divert approximately 2,800 tonnes
of material from landfill per year and reduce carbon emissions by 2,460 equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide.”
“To have your say regarding Council’s current and future waste management services, Burwood residents are invited to visit the ‘Participate Burwood’ section of the Council website and complete the online survey,” he added.
The FOGO trial will commence in late February and will run for approximately 12 months. Residents not involved in the trial are encouraged to use their green-waste bin as normal.