Changes coming to green waste collection

THE City of Mount Gambier will progressively roll out weekly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO)/greenwaste collections from July 2028, as part of a planned transition to reduce waste sent to landfill and improve environmental outcomes for the community.

At the April 2026 council meeting, changes were endorsed to the kerbside collection system that will see:

• FOGO/greenwaste bins collected weekly,

• Landfill/general waste bins collected fortnightly,

• Recycling collections remain fortnightly.

Preparations will start in the 2026/27 financial year, with the staged rollout supported through community education, additional resources, and collaboration with state agencies.

City of Mount Gambier general manager city infrastructure Barbara Cernovskis said the change is driven by the need to significantly lift Mount Gambier’s waste diversion rates and make better use of existing services.

“Our kerbside waste audits show that around one third of what is currently going into landfill/general waste bins is food and garden waste, even though a FOGO/greenwaste service already exists,” Ms Cernovskis said.

“Weekly FOGO/greenwaste collection makes it easier for households to recycle food scraps and garden organics, reducing landfill waste, cutting emissions and extending the life of our landfill.”

Council analysis shows that switching to weekly FOGO will be the most effective way to meet Council’s target of diverting 65 per cent of household waste from landfill by 2030.

In 2024/2025, Mount Gambier’s diversion rate was 53 per cent.

Ms Cernovskis said education and clear communication will be central to the successful transition.

“This is not just a service change, it’s a behaviour change,” she said.

“We’ll be working closely with the community to explain why the change is happening, how the new system works, and how it actually provides households with more overall bin capacity.”

Under the proposed system, the total bin capacity available to households will increase by 100 litres per fortnight.

Diverting FOGO waste away from landfill is expected to significantly reduce the amount of material going into the landfill bin, freeing up capacity for items that cannot be recycled or composted.

Ms Cernovskis said introducing a weekly FOGO collection service would help address common concerns about managing landfill waste over a two week collection cycle.

“We understand residents may be concerned about landfill bin capacity, particularly for items like nappies. Food scraps and garden waste currently take up a large amount of space in landfill bins, and moving this material into a dedicated FOGO bin will create more room where it’s needed most,” Ms Cernovskis said.

“In accordance with council policy, flexible options will be available for residents with exceptional circumstances, such as medical needs, households with nappies etc. This approach supports households to manage their waste more effectively, while also reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.”

Council will also progressively provide FOGO bins, kitchen caddies and compostable liners to households that do not currently have them, ensuring the rollout is fair and equitable.

“We’re very mindful that some residents have already purchased FOGO/greenwaste bins, while others don’t yet have access to the service,” Ms Cernovskis said.

“The rollout approach has been designed to balance equity, cost and environmental benefit, while keeping the transition as simple as possible for residents.”

Weekly FOGO collection also supports the local circular economy and jobs by ensuring food and garden waste is composted and reused, rather than buried in landfill where it generates methane and costly leachate.

Council will notify the EPA and Local Government Association, seek supplementary funding from Green Industries SA, and deliver a comprehensive education and engagement program ahead of implementation.

“By planning this change now, Council is getting ahead of likely future state requirements and giving the community time to adapt,” Ms Cernovskis said.

“This proactive approach puts Mount Gambier in a strong position environmentally, operationally and financially.”

Residents can learn more about FOGO and the upcoming changes at www.mountgambier.sa.gov.au/fogo