FOGO (Food organics garden organics)
Managing FOGO in summer
See how to make a cheap, all-natural deodorising spray with items in your pantry.
Tips for managing FOGO this summer
- Freeze meat, bones and dairy until bin night. We promise it won't stink out your fridge!
- Store your benchtop bin away from direct sunlight (in fridge or under sink)
- Sprinkle bicarb in the benchtop and outdoor bin to absorb liquids
- Cover your scraps with newspaper, mouldy bread or spent coffee grounds
- Empty your bin regularly during warm weather
- Empty your benchtop bin regularly and rinse accordingly. Your benchtop bin is dishwasher safe - the handles and lid can be removed for easy stacking.
- You don't have to use the benchtop bin provided. Considering using an old tuppaware or airtight food container (old ice cream, hommus or yoghurt tub) to store your scraps
- Collect a roll of liners from customer service centres and libraries for free
- If possible, store your wheelie bin in a shaded location.
- Use leaves, branches, and grass clippings to line the bottom of your bin. This will help aerate your food scraps while they are waiting to be collected.
- Similarly, use leaves, branches, and grass clippings to cover food scraps in your wheelie bin. This will reduce odours and pests.
- Consider using a bin tag to deter pests attracted to odours in the warmer months. Bin repellents can be purchased from hardware retailers, supermarkets and local grocers.
- See how to best install your compostable bin liners (in less than 90 seconds)
- Don't stock up on too many, compostable liners deteriorate over time. Store them in a cool, dry place like your cupboard or under the sink.
- Collect a roll of liners from customer service centres and libraries
- 'Go nude' and put scraps in your FOGO bin without a bag if you have plenty of garden organics to cover the scraps
FOGO FAQs
What is FOGO?
FOGO is a combined Food Organics, Garden Organics (FOGO) food recycling service that turns your green lid bin contents into compost for farmers. Your green lid bin accepts all food scraps including meats, dairy and bones with your regular household garden organics.
What do I need to FOGO?
You will need a container to collect your food scraps in the kitchen and a green lid wheelie bin that gets collected weekly.
You don't need the Council supplied benchtop bin to start! You can use any container that suits your kitchen size or aesthetic.
We recommend using a container that can be stowed under the sink, in the fridge or next to your chopping board or knife block as a reminder to use it.
If you don't have a green lid FOGO bin, you can order a 120L or 240L wheelie bin at no additional cost.
Order a FOGO wheelie bin
How do I order a benchtop bin?
It's not mandatory to use the supplied benchtop bin.
You can use any container that suits your kitchen size or aesthetic.
We recommend using a container that can be stowed under the sink, in the fridge or next to your chopping board or knife block as a reminder to use it.
You can request a benchtop bin by clicking on the button below. You can also request a replacement lid, handle or benchtop bin if required.
Order a kitchen benchtop bin
Why do I need to FOGO?
All councils in NSW are required by the state government to provide a food recycling service by 2030, and Inner West Council is one of the first Sydney councils to do this. Using your FOGO food recycling bin helps our environment to:
- Halve waste that goes to landfill
- Turn food and garden organics into compost to support farmers and grow better quality produce to feed our families
- Reduce the impacts of climate change
How do I FOGO?
You can use any container to transfer your food scraps – including meats, dairy, and bones – into the green lid FOGO food recycling bin.
Once you receive your kitchen benchtop bin and compostable liners, you will be able to easily transfer your scraps from kitchen to kerb:
- Line your kitchen benchtop bin with the compostable liners provided, newspaper or paper towel, or put it in ‘nude’ (loose)
- Collect food scraps, expired food and old takeaway food in your kitchen benchtop bin
- Empty into your green lid FOGO food recycling bin as needed
- Cover your scraps with leaves, branches or grass clippings. This will keep your FOGO food recycling bin smelling fresh
Important notes
All expired, stale, rotten or freezer burnt foods must be removed from their packaging before going in the FOGO food recycling bin.
Only use certified compostable liners. No plastic or ‘biodegradable’ bags or liners.
If using compostable bags, consider twisting them closed instead of tying, as the knot takes longer to break down/compost.
How can I check my bin collection days?
Visit the waste calendar page.
What can go in my FOGO bin?
Remove all packaging and place the following food in the green lid FOGO bin:
- All food including rotten fruit or vegetables, stale or mouldy bread, or leftover meals that didn't get eaten in time
- Garden organics
- Compostable liners that comply with Australian Standards (AS4736) for commercial composting
Any type of food can be placed in your green lid FOGO bin. For example:
Fruit and vegetable peels and scraps
Meat, chicken, seafood (except oyster shells) and small bones (cooked and uncooked meats)
Dairy products (cheese, yoghurt etc.)
Bread, pasta, rice, cereal
Tea bags and coffee grounds
Eggs and eggshells
Out of date food (processed or fresh)
Expired takeaway
Garden organics:
Grass
Leaves
Twigs, small branches, tree bark (no logs or branches longer than 100 centimetres or more than 15 centimetres in diameter)
Flowers, garden weeds and garden prunings
The following items CANNOT go in the FOGO bin:
Pet poo or pet poo bags
Logs or branches longer than 100 centimetres or more than 15 centimetres in diameter
Kitty litter
Fibre-based materials, such as bamboo, timber or cardboard packaging and cutlery, paper towels and serviettes
Compostable or biodegradable packaging
Vacuum cleaner dust, washing machine or dryer lint
For more information check the NSW EPA website.
I'm concerned about fortnightly garbage collections. What can I do?
Almost 300 tonnes
of food scraps
from the Inner West used to go into landfill every single week before FOGO. That's why it's important that food scraps
go in the green lid FOGO bin for weekly collection and processing into compost for use by farmers to grow food.
We understand that a shift to fortnightly
red-lid bin garbage collection can
feel like a big change for some,
so we have a few supports in place to help
you manage:
- Book and extra red lid bin collection when it's really needed. Council is offering an additional booked collection of red-lid garbage bins (in the
alternate week to the scheduled pick up) to assist
households whilst they transition to the weekly FOGO and fortnightly garbage.
- Upsize to a large (240L) garbage bin on fortnightly collection
- Request an additional recycling bin - you can order a recycling or FOGO bin at no extra cost
- Check
out Council's A-Z: What Goes Where waste guide for more
ideas on how a wide range of items can be recycled, reused, donated or
sold, rather than thrown in the red
lid garbage bin.
- Contact our Waste Busters - they're our helpful team who will look at your
waste and give you tips on how
to create space in your red lid bin and
make FOGO work for you.
What if I have nappies, incontinence pads or pet waste?
Unfortunately, the chemicals and plastics in disposable nappies and incontinence pads mean they can't be disposed of in the green lid bin and must be sent to landfill. The same is true of pet waste and most commercial cat litter products.
We understand that some families may find this
transition challenging and so
are offering a range of
options to support households struggling with
FOGO Food Recycling:
- Book and extra red lid bin collection when it's really needed. Council is offering an additional booked collection of red lid garbage bins (in the alternate week to the scheduled pick-up) to assist households whilst they transition to the weekly FOGO and fortnightly garbage.
- Upsize to a large (240L) garbage bin on fortnightly collection
- Opt-in for a week red lid garbage bin collection - You can register
for weekly red lid garbage bin collections. Priority will be given to those households that need it most first (such as medical
reasons, disability, large
volumes of nappies or large
families of 5 or more).
Research has been undertaken by Lake Macquarie council which identified that odours from nappies
are at peak smell at 3 days and the smell
does not get worse after
this time. Nappy
smell would not be
different whetherweekly or
fortnightly red lid garbage bin collections. The smell
can be reduced by wrapping nappies in
a plastic bag and storing your bin in a shady spot where possible.
You might also like to check out the details of our reusable nappy rebate.
Are my rates changing?
No, the domestic waste charge on your rates has not changed. We switched
the collection of your red lid garbage bins to fortnightly with the collection
of the green lid FOGO Food Recycling bins to weekly.
The amount of waste, collections and trucks has not changed. Food is still collected weekly -
just in a different bin. We
will need just as many staff and trucks on the ground as before.
A
council resolution determined that any additional costs associated with an
upsizing of garbage bin and additional red lid
garbage bin collections during FOGO Food Recycling will not be passed on to ratepayers for up to 2
years to allow households time to transition to FOGO.
Do I have to use a compostable liner?
No, you don't. Putting food in loose without using a liner is the most environmentally friendly way to FOGO. If you choose to put food in loose, here's some tips to get you started:
- Use an airtight container to collect your scraps. This minimises smells in your kitchen
- Store your container near your knife block, under the sink, in your fridge or next your bin as a reminder to use it. Make sure it is stored away from direct sunlight
- Empty your container regularly in the warmer months (2 to 3 times per week)
- Cover food scraps in your green lid wheelie bin by layering these with garden organics to help absorb liquids, reduce odours and avoid the attraction of pests
If you're new to FOGO, liners can make food recycling easy and mess-free. We recommend emptying your benchtop bin 2-3 times per week in the summer months to reduce smells and ensure liners don’t decompose in your kitchen benchtop bin.
Where can I get compostable liners?
Council will provide you with a pack of compostable bin liners as part of your FOGO starter pack.
Compostable liners are also available from Council service centres, libraries and mobile customer service stalls held throughout the community, from Tuesday to Saturday.
You can also purchase compostable bin liners from major supermarkets, independent grocers and hardware retailers. Make sure you purchase green liners with the seedling logo or marked "AS4736".
Can I use any green bag to collect my food?
No - regular plastic bags and "biodegradable" or "degradable" bags, without the seedling logo or marked "AS4736" are not suitable. These bags will not decompose and will contaminate the compost used by farmers to grow food.
Want to learn more?
See the full list of FOGO FAQs