FOGO changes show strong results as contamination drops

Snowy Valleys Council thanks residents for their ongoing efforts in adapting to the
updated Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) guidelines and continuing
to improve how household waste is sorted. The updated FOGO guidelines were introduced following advice from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to improve compost quality by reducing contamination in organics. Under the updated rules, fibre-based items are no longer accepted in FOGO bins, including paper towel, tissues, tea bags, compostable packaging, newspaper and cardboard. Council’s recent FOGO education mail-out to residents is already delivering strong results, with contamination in kerbside organics bins significantly reduced.

Acting Director Infrastructure and Works Phillip McMurray said the results come down to small changes people are making at home. “It’s encouraging to see the community take up the changes and help us improve both efficiency and compost quality,” Mr McMurray said. Sorting staff have also reported a noticeable improvement in the quality of material received, with fewer incorrect items entering FOGO loads. This is helping improve both compost quality and efficiency in the sorting process. Because all FOGO loads are sorted by hand, reduced contamination means less time spent removing incorrect items, allowing staff to process material more efficiently and focus on producing high-quality compost. Food scraps, garden clippings and council-issued caddy bags remain the only
items accepted in the FOGO bin.

Households with a kerbside bin service should be ensuring these items are placed in the correct bin:
• Cardboard, pizza boxes and newspaper - Yellow-lid recycling bin
• Paper towel, tissues, tea bags and compostable packaging - Red-lid landfill bin

Most households should have received their FOGO information pack. Anyone who believes they have been missed can collect a pack, which includes a sticker for their kitchen caddy lid, from Council’s customer service counters. The FOGO education initiative is funded by the NSW EPA Scrap Together Program, in partnership with the Canberra Joint Organisation, with a contribution from Snowy Valleys Council.