City of Subiaco residents have reduced waste to landfill by 20 per cent in just six months after the implementation of FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics).
FOGO offers a three-bin system; a red-lid bin for general waste, a yellow-lid bin for recyclables, and a lime-green-lid FOGO bin, in which people can recycle their food scraps and garden waste together.
Once collected, waste from FOGO bins is made into high-quality compost, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that would result from organic waste going directly to landfill.
Since its implementation in May 2023, City residents have diverted more than 800 tonnes of methane producing organics from landfill, contributing to a more circular economy. 1,049 tonnes of organic material has been processed from City FOGO bins (after contamination has been removed).
Contamination rates of FOGO are around 2 per cent – which is considered low to medium – with soft plastics accounting for the majority of this, including wrappers, non-compostable plastic bags and other packaging.
Hundreds of households have downsized their general waste bins since the service began because FOGO means less waste destined for landfill is being generated.
Mayor David McMullen said this was a good outcome for the environment.
“The community has really embraced FOGO and the numbers reflect this – with an impressive 20 per cent reduction in waste to landfill,” he said.
“We expected that FOGO would have a significant and long-lasting impact on the environment so it’s encouraging to now start seeing data to quantify how much the change is paying off.”
FOGO-derived compost is available for residents to buy at the West Metro Recycling Centre in Shenton Park for $5.50 a bag. The City's Parks team are currently exploring the use of FOGO-derived compost on Subiaco verges and in local parks and reserves.
To find out more about FOGO – including
what can and cannot go in your FOGO bin – head to the City’s
FOGO webpage which includes FAQs.