FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics)

Due to high demand, we are processing bin requests as quickly as possible in collaboration with Veolia. You will receive an email once your bin request has been processed, providing further details.

In the meantime, please continue using your General Waste (red lid) for food scraps during this transition period. Some residents may need to place food scraps in the red lid bin for the next week or two. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Until further notice, properties that have not received their FOGO bin are eligible for out-of-area pick-ups. Additionally, properties without a FOGO bin can request one during their call (08 9285 3128). During the call, please provide your address, email, phone number, and bin variation. For those with medical concessions waiting for a waste upgrade, our Waste team will verify your eligibility.

Your new Kitchen Caddy will be delivered to single-unit dwellings in the first half of July, along with information on what goes in each bin.

While you wait, you can start collecting your food scraps using any container you have at home, such as a plastic container with a lid, lined with newspaper, compostable liners, or paper shopping bags.

Use your current green lid bin for food and other organics. You can wrap scraps in newspaper or simply tip everything into the FOGO bin as needed.

For updates on our FOGO journey, sign up to our Eco News e-newsletter, delivered directly to your inbox.

Workshops

The Town is running information sessions at different venues for residents to learn about the what, why, and how of this new, cleaner, and more efficient system.

Click here to find one of our upcoming workshops, led by the Town's Waste Education Officer.

As about half of our waste should be going to FOGO (green lid) from 1 July 2024, the General Waste (red lid) bin is being collected fortnightly, alternating weeks with your Recycling (yellow lid) bin.

View our comprehensive Find My Bin Day webpage to familiarise yourself with your household's bin collection schedule.

Remember to place your bins on the curb by 6am with lids closed, not exceeding 70kgs per bin, keeping 0.5 metres between bins and 1m from other objects, and returning them behind the property line after collection.

The delivery and distribution of the initial 10,000 caddies has been completed. If you haven't received your kitchen caddy, please feel free to call (08) 9285 3128 and let us know. Our second wave of kitchen caddies should arrive at the waste contractor, Veolia, by the end of September. In the meantime, you can use newspaper to wrap your food scraps in or you can buy the compostable liners from the supermarket.

The Town has transitioned to weekly FOGO collections. Your general waste bin will now be collected fortnightly, alternating with your recycling bin. If necessary, we'll promptly return within 48 hours in cases where properties lack a FOGO bin or under special circumstances.
For assistance, call Veolia on 1300 761 908 and advise your property address.

FIND MY BIN DAY

We are currently experiencing high demand for FOGO bins and are working diligently with Veolia to ensure deliveries are completed as soon as possible. You should receive your green bin within 5 working days. You will receive an email notification once your bin request has been processed, providing further information on delivery timing.

Multi-unit dwellings (MUDs) of five units and over, which have individual bins, will not be included in this stage of the FOGO rollout. These residences will continue to receive weekly general waste collections and fortnightly green/recycle collections until further notice.

While waiting for your green FOGO bin, you may continue using your red bin for food scraps. This transition period may necessitate placing food scraps in the red bin for the next week or so.

Animal waste should be placed in the FOGO bin, provided it is not in plastic bags. Compostable bags are acceptable.

Multi-unit dwellings will be included in future stages of the FOGO rollout. Specific timelines will be communicated as the program progresses.

Special collections for red bins may be arranged if there is no room in your current bin, particularly in cases involving excess waste. Please contact us for more information and assistance.

Following the State Government Strategy supporting the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Act 2007, all Perth and Peel local governments are required to implement a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) three bin system for standard single-unit dwellings by 2025.

A single-unit dwelling (SUD) refers to individual houses or units, while multi-unit dwellings (MUD) refer to complexes with multiple residences. Specific service arrangements apply to each category.

The smaller 120L FOGO bins are available for properties under 300m2, properties within the Perry Lakes Estate and properties within Ocean Mia. However, we appreciate your feedback and will consider it for future service adjustments.

Previously, the contents of your Garden Organics (GO) bin were shredded and converted into mulch, using a very different process than is required to produce compost.  Adding food scraps to your GO bin causes contamination as they are not suitable for shredding - but perfect for composting.

Perth and Peel local governments are required under the State Government's Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery 2030 Strategy to introduce a three-bin FOGO system to all single unit dwellings by 2025. 

The Town of Cambridge has rolled out FOGO in accordance with this strategy, ensuring all single unit dwellings have a FOGO green lid bin as part of our standard service.

Depending on your current bin configuration, changes to your bins will be minimal:

• Your previous Garden Organics bin has become your FOGO bin.  If you do not have a Garden Organics bin, you can request one here.  From 1 July 2024, this bin will be used for food and garden organics, which will be turned into high-quality compost. It will be collected weekly.
• You will keep your Recycling (yellow lid) bin, which will continue to be collected fortnightly.
• Your current General Waste (red lid) bin will be used for non-organic and non-recyclable items. The contents of this bin will be sent to landfill and collected on the alternative fortnight to your yellow-lidded recycling bin.

At this stage, there has been no change to your collection days. You will be formally notified. if changes are made.

Collection schedule:

• FOGO (green lid bin): weekly
• General Waste (red lid bin): fortnightly alternating
• Recycling (yellow lid bin): fortnightly alternating

The average General Waste (red lid) bin contains 55% of compostable organic waste which can now be placed into your FOGO bin.

Your FOGO (Food Organics & Garden Organics) bin can be used for: 

• Food waste e.g. fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bones, dairy products, eggshells, bread, pasta, cereals, coffee grinds and table scraps;
• Garden waste e.g. lawn clippings, garden prunings, leaves, weeds, and flowers;
• Hair, tissues, clean and soiled paper products, and cardboard;
• Pet waste e.g. dog poo and clay/organic cat litter.

The dishwasher-safe kitchen caddy and a roll of compostable liners are provided for your convenience.

Use compostable bags to line your caddy and collect your food scraps - tie off, remove, and place directly into the FOGO bin.

When it comes time to purchase a new roll of liners, they must be certified compostable and display the below symbol.  Alternatively, you can use newspaper to line the caddy, or no liner at all.

Generally speaking, about half the contents of a General Waste bin is organic. From 1 July 2024, this material can be placed into your FOGO bin to be collected weekly. 

Residents from councils who have already switched to FOGO have been surprised at how little waste is now going into their General Waste bin. It is important to try out the new system before any decision to increase your General Waste bin capacity is made.  

Overall, your bin capacity will increase by 120 litres:

Research shows that correct use of FOGO bins halves the contents of General Waste (red lid) bins.

Here are some tips for managing bin odours:

• Always ensure lids are kept closed;
• Where possible, store bins in a shaded area;
• Use modern cloth nappies, which are reusable, sustainable, and cost effective;
• Empty nappy solids down the toilet;
• Wrap used disposable nappies in used soft plastics;
• Pressure spray your bin regularly;
• Sprinkle baking soda or clay-based kitty litter in the bottom of the bin.

The Town of Cambridge can a schedule site visit with a Waste Education Officer to assist residents with optimising their bin capacity.  Please call the Town on (08) 9285 3128 or email FOGO@cambridge.wa.gov.au with further queries.

You will keep the bins currently allocated to your property.

The Town does not need to change bins or lids in order to roll out the new FOGO service. 

The standard configuration will be:

• 240L Green Bin (FOGO)
• 240L/360L Yellow Bin (Recycling)
• 120L Red Bin (Waste)

If you are concerned that you do not have the correct configuration for FOGO, please feel free to get in touch on (08) 9285 3128 or FOGO@cambridge.wa.gov.au

Only two of your bins will be put out for collection each week.

Your red lid general waste bin and your yellow lid recycling bin will be put out on alternating fortnights – along with your green lid FOGO bin every week.

The increase in footprint of the new bin system will be minimal.  If you have concerns over storing the bins on your property, please get in touch so we can look at viable solutions.  Email us at FOGO@cambridge.wa.gov.au

The initial 2024 FOGO roll out is for single unit dwelling residents only, as outlined by the Waste Authorities Best Practice FOGO Guidelines.

The Town will explore case-by-case opportunities for businesses at a later stage.

The initial 2024 FOGO roll out is for single unit dwelling residents only, as outlined by the Waste Authorities Best Practice FOGO Guidelines.

For multi-unit dwellings / apartments there has been no change to your bins, services, or schedules.

The Town will explore opportunities for FOGO for these properties at a later stage, and case-by-case assessments may be made.

FOGO material will be taken to Veolia's Organics Composting Facility in North Bannister. The material will be checked for contamination and then undergo aerobic composting processes.

The compost produced from FOGO material can be supplied to farmers and industry, used in parks and gardens or for rehabilitating land. The potential uses for the compost will be determined by contamination levels. This means it is everyone's responsibility to ensure as little contamination as possible so we can make the most of the compost produced.