Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO)
FOGO stands for Food Organics Garden Organics. It is an easy and sustainable way to dispose of organic waste.
Did you know: your food waste can also be placed in your green bin
Your green bin is collected fortnightly on the alternate week to your recycling bin.
Find your collection day by putting your address into My Area.
Food scraps and garden waste from your FOGO bin is taken to a commercial composting facility to be turned into compost for use on farms and parks around Victoria.
FOGO bin service
We divert more than 12,000 tonnes of food and garden materials from landfill each year and our residents play a key role in turning organic waste into nutrient rich compost. As of 1 July 2021, Council introduced a new waste charge fee structure to allow residents to opt in Food Organics, Green Organics (FOGO) bin service at no additional cost. This means your annual waste charge covers the service of three kerbside bins - landfill waste (red lid), recycling bin (yellow lid) and FOGO bin (green lid).
Since this change, uptake of the service has risen to 80 percent, however a recent audit shows that around 50 percent of our landfill waste bins contain food waste that could go into the FOGO bin. It might seem like a small thing to sort your waste properly, but it makes a big impact when we all do it correctly. Putting food and garden waste in your green bin means less landfill, preventing it from releasing methane that contributes to climate change.
We are committed to diverting all food waste away from landfill and thank you for you cooperation during this transition from Garden Organics (GO) to Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO)
Don't have a FOGO bin? Property owners or residential tenants can request one (with proof of residency) by contacting our Customer Service team on 9747 7200 or request online.
What can and can't go in your FOGO bin?
Yes - Accepted items are:
- grass, leaves, twigs, weeds, flowers and small plants
- small branches (less than 3cm in diameter and 30cm long)
- garden pruning's
- cooked and uncooked food
- coffee grounds & loose tea leaves
- dairy products e.g. cheese, butter, yoghurt
- eggshells
- meat, bones and seafood
- fruit & vegetable scraps including citrus, garlic, bones
- bread, rice, pasta, noodles
- biscuits and all other processed food products
No - unaccepted items are:
- plastic bags including biodegradable and compostable ones
- rocks, bricks, large logs
- food packaging and items (cutlery, cups, plates)
- fertilisers
- animal waste, kitty litter
- wipes
- plant pots, garden hose, garden tools, etc
- treated and painted woods
- fruit stickers and labels
- soft plastics, e.g. cling wraps
- coffee pods, coffee cups
- nappies
- large logs, soil, stumps and branches (greater than 3cm diameter or longer than 30cm)
- noxious weeds
Using a kitchen caddy
A Kitchen Caddy is a convenient way to collect loose food scraps from your kitchen, prior to disposing in your kerbside FOGO bin.
If you have a green bin, a free kitchen caddy is available to collect from Council Customer Service Centres. Alternatively, you can purchase a caddy from your local hardware or garden store (such as Bunnings). You can also reuse a container or ice cream tub as a caddy.
Lining your kitchen caddy
Lining your caddy can reduce odour and keep it cleaner.
You can line your caddy using any of these:
- Paper towel
- Newspaper
- Dry garden leaves
Bin Inspection Program
Starting from February until April 2024, we will be running a bin inspection program for the green bins.
The inspection will provide you with information to sort your organic waste correctly.
If your bins are inspected, you will have a tag on the bin. If you receive a 'Thank You' tag, you will enter a monthly draw for a chance to win one of four $100 eGift cards.
List of winners - February
| Name |
Suburb |
| H Vuko |
Melton South |
| L Krishnamurthy |
Taylors Hill |
| S Bogle |
Eynesbury |
| A Matthews |
Caroline Springs |
List of winners - March
| Name |
Suburb |
| J Wheaton |
Kurunjang |
| R Sammut |
Caroline Springs |
| T Rigoni |
Taylors Hill |
| A Buhagiar |
Aintree |
Frequently asked questions
Tips to reduce pest and odour from FOGO bin
- Let hot food cool down before putting it in your kitchen caddy
- Layer food waste in between garden waste
- Sprinkle bi-carbonate (baking soda) on top of food waste
- Freeze meat, bones, seafood, and other smelly food put in your FOGO bin the night before collection
- Always keep your green bin in the shade with the lid closed (except when in use)
- Put your green bin out for collection each fortnight, even if it isn’t full
- Spray lavender or mint around the base of your green waste bin - rats and mice don’t like this smell
When is your bin collection day?
Your collection day and the bins you need to put out for collection depends on the area that you live in.
Enter your address on find my bin day to see your next bin collection day.
I have a FOGO bin, but it is not enough. Can I order an additional FOGO bin?
If you need an additional bin to what is offered in the bin options, it will cost $177.00 extra in the 2022-2023 financial year.
Only owner/s of the property can request additional bins as there is a fee.
A Managing Authority, such as a Real Estate agent, cannot order additional bins on behalf of the owner.
For more information contact our Customer Service team on 9747 7200.
What size FOGO bins are available?
Households can opt for either a 120L or 240L FOGO Bin.
I do home composting. Do I need a FOGO bin?
Excellent! Thanks for managing your food waste at home.
FOGO bin can actually complement your home composting by taking the hard to compost items such as:
- citrus, garlic, onions, chili
- meat, bones, seafood, dairy, eggshells
- weeds
Related Information
Composting
You can recycle most of your organic household and garden waste and put it back into your garden, improving your soil quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Information on creating great compost as well as what you can and can't put in can be found on the CleanUp Australia and Sustainability Victoria websites.
Worm farm
Worm farming is another great way to compost food scraps. Worms will eat most of your kitchen waste and process it into rich plant food. It can be:
- mixed with potting soil and used for houseplants and patio containers
- used as mulch for potted plants.
- finely sprinkled on lawns as a conditioner
- used directly in the garden around existing plants or dug into the soil
- made into liquid fertiliser by being mixed with water until it is the colour of weak tea
- moisture drained from the worm farm’s bottom crate is also a good liquid fertiliser, once diluted.
Find out more about creating a worm farm on the CleanUp Australia and Sustainability Victoria websites.
Bokashi bin
Bokashi bins are small containers that you can place indoors or outdoors that you can put food scraps in. You will need to buy and add a bokashi mix (sometimes referred to as Bokashi bran or grains) which is available from gardening stores.
As the waste starts to ferment, Bokashi juice will form in the bottom of the bucket which can be drained off and diluted with water. This can then be used as fertiliser for your garden and plants.