Do you have FOGO? Well, you will soon…

 

What is Fogo and what does it mean for you?

25 November 2021

YOLO so why not FOGO?

 

Don’t worry, it’s not related to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and only tenuously linked to ScoMo, whose Federal Government is overseeing the rollout… introducing FOGO – the Food Organics Garden Organics bin. This new waste-reduction offering will be coming soon to a household near you – very near, in fact, as in yours – and it’s about time.

 

These days, it seems like everything has an acronym, even politicians, so why not waste reduction too? Local government areas across Australia have long had different initiatives when it comes to tipping, recycling and waste reduction. In many regions within Queensland, householders are furnished with a red-lidded general rubbish bin and a yellow-lidded recycling bin but are able to pay additional rates for a green bin to discard organic garden waste. In the Redlands, for instance, these bins are emptied by the council fortnightly but are reserved for lawn clippings and garden trimmings, leaving the onus for composting food scraps and other biodegradable household detritus to homeowners, who may not always have the space, know-how or inclination to compost food waste.

Some 30% of Australian households, mostly in the southern states, already have access to FOGO bins, which are delivering promising waste-reduction results. Inner-city Sydney’s Randwick Council installed the FOGO bins in March and has since prevented some 1400 tonnes of organic waste from adding to the mountain of landfill, with a contamination rate (the amount compromised by non-compostable materials) of just 1.5%. That’s the weight of approximately 10 blue whales, so no small feat.

 

The Federal Government has now committed to issuing all Australian households with a FOGO bin by the end of 2023, ensuring that biodegradable organic matter is effectively recycled rather than decaying in landfill.  

 

It’s ‘GO-GG-O’ for the FOGO in Queensland!

The bins are currently undergoing a year-long trial in three Queensland council areas –Townsville City Council, Rockhampton Regional Council and Lockyer Valley Regional Council – and data is expected to be published in early 2023, with the broader issuance of FOGO bins throughout Queensland to follow.

In the meantime, Wildlife Queensland urges all residents to continue to compost their organic matter and food waste as much as possible. Inexpensive and simple compost solutions, like the Composta sold in our Friends of WPSQ section of the store, make it easier to stay green until your FOGO bin arrives. YOLO (You Only Live Once) after all.


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