New FOGO service to transform waste

IN a little over two months, households within the City of Ballarat will be able to turn their food waste and garden clippings into compost through the food organics and garden organics, or FOGO, kerbside bin collection.

Beginning on Monday 3 November, the contents of households’ green-lidded bin will be collected each fortnight and processed into high-quality compost by Green Care Mulching.

Collected food scraps and garden clippings will be sorted, shredded and placed in large composting windrows.

Following curing, screening and monitoring, the waste will become compost which can be used for gardens.

“This new FOGO service will be a simple change with a powerful impact,” mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said.

“It is exciting to know that what we scrape off our plates or rake from our gardens can be transformed into something valuable that helps grow food.”

New green-lidded bins are being delivered to properties that do not currently have one.

All residents who have a green waste bin will use their existing bin.

Residents will also receive an information kit, a kitchen caddy and compostable liners.

Items that can go into the bin from November include fruit and vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat and bones, citrus, leftovers, seafood, shellfish shells and eggshells as well as leaves, plants, twigs, grass and weeds.

Food waste currently goes into landfill where it produces methane gas that can damage the environment.

Food waste is up to 41 per cent of what is in the average household waste bin, which is an estimated 9000 tonnes of waste per year.