Why have we moved to FOGO? 

FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. Around half of what goes into the red lid general waste bin is organic material that can be composted instead of buried. When organics break down in landfill, they produce methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.

The Western Australian Government requires all councils in Perth and Peel to introduce FOGO by 2025 and has set a target for 75% of waste to be diverted from landfill by 2030. The Shire has been planning this transition since 2020 and Council approved the move to FOGO in August 2023 as part of its commitment to sustainability and reducing greenhouse gases.

Although many residents already compost at home or keep chickens, a recent audit showed that more than 50% of general waste bins still contain compostable material. By collecting food and garden waste separately, the FOGO bin allows this material to be recovered and turned into compost instead of going to landfill.

FOGO has already been rolled out successfully in many other local governments, including rural areas. The move to a consistent three-bin system across Western Australia will also reduce confusion for residents and help minimise contamination in kerbside bins so more material can be recovered.

Were other bin collection options considered? 

Yes. The Shire assessed several waste collection options, considering operational needs along with environmental and financial impacts. One option was to introduce FOGO with fortnightly collection at first and continue weekly general waste, then switch to weekly FOGO and fortnightly general waste after 12 months. This was not supported as it would have significantly increased costs for the community and would not have reduced organic waste in general waste bins, which is currently around 50%.

The WA State Government requires all local governments in Perth and Peel to implement FOGO by 2025. The system being introduced follows the State Waste Authority’s Better Practice FOGO kerbside guidelines, which recommend fortnightly collection for general waste.

While a third bin adds collection costs, these are balanced by the lower cost of processing organic material compared with landfill disposal. As a result, the FOGO system delivers a cost-neutral kerbside waste service for the Shire overall.

Why are the bin lid colours changing?

The bin lids are changing to comply with Australian Standard colours for waste bins.  This will assist in delivering consistent messaging across the State and enabling improved source separation and reduced contamination of waste streams. 

Have other local councils introduced FOGO?

There are currently 17 councils in the Perth and Peel region with a three bin FOGO system in place and another 12 including Shire of Mundaring who have committed to transition to FOGO.

City of Bunbury were the first council to introduce the FOGO system and are now in their 11^th year of providing the service to their residents.

What will happen to the waste I put in my FOGO bin? 

Your lime-green lid FOGO bin will be emptied weekly. The organic waste will be taken to Red Hill Waste Management Facility for processing into compost. The better you sort your food waste in the kitchen, the better the quality of the resulting compost. Remember no glass, metal or plastics can go in your FOGO bin as this will contaminate the compost. Only use the compostable bags provided by the Shire in your caddy or line the kitchen caddy with newspaper. 

Who will use the compost made from my FOGO waste? 

The compost produced from the contents of your FOGO bins can be used back in the community (on your own gardens or on the Council’s parks and gardens). Or it could be sold as a soil improver/compost for landscaping on large infrastructure projects or for rehabilitating land. 

The potential uses for the compost will depend on its final quality, so it's important to separate your waste well and keep plastic, glass and metal out of the FOGO bin.  Any non-organic items will contaminate the compost and affect the quality of the final product. 

What are the environmental benefits of the FOGO system? 

Moving to FOGO will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save valuable space in landfill. When sent to landfill, organic waste breaks down in an oxygen-free environment and produces a harmful greenhouse gas called methane. Methane is 25 times more harmful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Under the FOGO system, food organics, garden organics and other compostable items are collected from households and processed in an oxygenated environment, which produces far less methane. The result is compost that allows the nutrients from your waste to be returned to the earth. 

FOGO also saves on landfill space and landfilling results in resources being lost instead of being reused or recycled and gives us all the opportunity to be smarter with our waste and sort our waste correctly. Keeping the food and garden organic waste out of landfill helps the planet by reducing the amount harmful methane being emitted.

What happens to the old bins? 

All bins and lids that are replaced are sent to Claw Environmental who process them so they can be made into new bins. This process is already underway with damaged bins that are replaced in the Shire.

What changes will happen to my bin service?

Your household will now have three separate bins: a general waste bin, a FOGO bin and a recycling bin.  

• 240 litre lime green FOGO bin:  This bin is for all your food scraps and garden clippings, which will be turned into high-quality compost and collected weekly.
• 240 litre yellow recycling bin: You will keep your 240 litre yellow lidded recycling bin, which will continue to be collected fortnightly.
• 140 litre red lidded bin: The 140-litre general waste bin (with a red or dark green lid) will be collected fortnightly, alternating with the recycling bin. Some households already have a red-lidded bin, while others will have their lids changed to red. This bin is for general rubbish items that can't be recycled or composted and will be sent to landfill.

You will also be provided with a kitchen caddy when your new bins are dropped off. The caddy will be attached to your lime-green lidded FOGO bin. Inside the kitchen caddy will be a roll of compostable liners for use in your kitchen caddy and information to help you use your new bins. 

If you find your household is struggling with capacity issues after you start using the new bins, contact us (08) 9290 6666 option 1 to see if a solution can be provided to you.

Is there a cost?

The cost to transition to the new FOGO system, including the provision of one FOGO bin per household, a 7 litre kitchen caddy and the upgrade of the general waste bin to a red lid bin has been funded by the State Government Better Bins Plus Grant Program.

There is no change to what residents currently pay for their standard waste collection service.

Will FOGO supersede the current ‘green waste’ tip passes and annual bulk green waste collections?

No, FOGO will not supersede the current tip passes or green waste bulk verge collections. The FOGO bin is an additional service on top of these current services.

I already compost, use bokashi or have a worm farm at home, do I need a FOGO lime-green lid bin? 

You can continue to use your compost bin, bokashi bin or worm farm.

You can use your FOGO bin for items you can’t put in your home compost bin such as bones, meat and seafood. If you use bokashi, you can put the material from the bokashi bin into the FOGO bin after it has composted (if you have nowhere to bury it).

You are still able to use your lime-green lid kerbside bin for garden waste, along with food waste, which will continue to be useful for residents with gardens, once the material has been composted. Worms can also be fussy eaters and often don’t like onion, citrus, and potato peel and other organic materials that can go in your FOGO bin. 

Can I opt out of having 3-bins and remain with just the 2-bin system?  

No. Once rolled out, the 3-bin FOGO service will become the standard collection service within the metropolitan area and we are encouraging all households to participate to the best of their ability. Residents are welcome to contact us and discuss any concerns.    

If I choose not to use the FOGO bin, can I get a rebate on my annual waste management fees or my rates? 

There are no rebates on waste management fees or rates if a resident chooses not to use the FOGO bin. With Shire of Mundaring being a member council with Switch your Thinking there are other benefits you may not be aware of. Find a range of rewards by visiting Rewards for Residents - Switch Your Thinking to view partner discounts on worm farms, compost bins, soil testing and more.

If you are interested in attending a composting, worm farm or cloth nappy workshop with the Shire register to our Six Seasons newsletter to be alerted to upcoming workshops.

Will you be auditing and checking our bins?  

Yes, the contents of FOGO bins will be verified. Collection trucks are equipped with cameras and drivers are able to check for contamination. FOGO bins that are too contaminated may be refused for collection. Following the three-bin system roll-out, the Shire with the assistance of EMRC will undertake a bin tagging program.

Bin tagging is a method of providing direct feedback on the content of General Waste, Recycling and Food Organics and Garden Organics bins to residents by placing a tag on each bin to indicate if the contents are appropriate. The tags provide specific feedback on the contents of each bin as well as some general guidance on what can and can’t be placed in kerbside bins.

Bin taggers conduct a simple visual assessment of the contents of each bin at kerbside prior to collection. Data for each household is collected based on this assessment. A bin tag is then placed on the bin, providing tailored feedback about the contents of the bin.

For further information about the bin tagging program and how it works visit Bin Tagging Program » WasteNet.

I care for someone who produces a lot of medical waste, can I request more waste collection or an additional general waste bin? 

The Shire has a Compassionate Waste Service Policy in place to support those residents who produce large amounts of medical waste. To apply contact the Waste Team at shire@mundaring.wa.gov.au for further assistance.

What can go in the FOGO lime-green lid bin? 

What can't go in the FOGO lime-green lid bin? 

Everything that you put in your FOGO bin will be composted, so if it won’t compost it shouldn’t go in. If it didn’t once live or grow, it’s not FOGO. 

Please don’t put these items in your FOGO lime-green lid bin: 

• Products you currently put in your yellow lid recycling bin 
• Plastic bags (bread bags, shopping bags or garbage bags) 
• Plastic packaging (bubble wrap) 
• Nappies 
• Cat Litter
• Personal hygiene products 
• Treated and painted timber 
• Building products 
• Metals 
• Glass 
• Plastic plant pots, garden hoses, seedling trays or garden tools - the only 'garden products' that can go in, are things grown in the garden (green waste/garden organics) 
• Small dead animals such as mice and rats are to be disposed of in your General Waste Bin
• Textiles (e.g. old clothing or cloth nappies). 

Will the FOGO bin smell and how can I reduce odours and insects?

The FOGO bin is collected weekly, so it should not smell any more than your general waste bin does now. Your general waste bin will move to a fortnightly collection, but most items that cause smells (like food scraps) should now go in the FOGO bin.

You can reduce smells and insects in both bins by:

• Using compostable caddy liners or wrapping food scraps in newspaper
• Layering food waste with dry material like lawn clippings, shredded paper or cardboard
• Putting your FOGO bin out every week, even if it is not full
• Keeping bins in the shade and lids closed at all times
• Freezing smelly food scraps like seafood and adding them to the bin the night before collection
• Rinsing bins with hot soapy water when needed
• Sprinkling bicarb soda, vinegar or clove oil in the bottom of the bin to absorb odours.

For nappies and pet waste:

• Disposable nappies must go in the general waste bin
• Emptying solids into the toilet before bagging nappies will reduce odours.

Research shows nappies smell progressively worse for the first four days, then do not get significantly worse after that, even with fortnightly collection

How do I use my new kitchen caddy? 

Each household received a free kitchen caddy, two rolls of compostable caddy liners and instructions ahead of the rollout. The caddy is a small countertop style bin with a lid and handle, designed to be kept on your kitchen bench for collecting your food scraps. 

To use your caddy, insert a provided compostable liner and start collecting your kitchen scraps such as vegetable peels, meat scraps, eggshells etc. After 2-3 days, or once the liner is full, tie a knot in the top to seal it and transfer the liner and its contents into your FOGO kerbside bin (lime-green lid). Put out the FOGO bin for weekly collection on your normal bin day. Using a compostable liner will reduce the need to wash the caddy and reduce odours. You can also line your caddy with newspaper as this will break down in the composting process. You can place your garden waste into the lime-green lid kerbside bin, along with your food waste. 

What do I do once my compostable caddy liners run out?

Every 12 months you are eligible for two more rolls of liners free of charge on proof of residency. Effective 1 July 2025, year-round collections are available.

Please remember to bring your Community Recycling Centre Pass with you when collecting from one of the following venues:

• Mundaring Community Recycling Facility, Coppin Road, Mundaring
• Chidlow Community Recycling Facility, Mathieson Road, Chidlow
• Shire Administration Centre – 7000 Great Eastern Highway, Mundaring Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm.

Check Community Recycling Centre opening hours.

You can also purchase your own compostable liners from supermarkets – please note the bags must be certified compostable (AS 4736). Look for the compostable logo!

Please also be aware that “biodegradable” or “recycled plastic” bags are not the same as compostable bags. These will break down into microplastics and contaminate the FOGO composting system. 

Alternatively, you can also line the caddy with brown paper bags, newspaper, paper towels or paper serviettes. Some people choose to go without a liner and wash their caddies in their dishwasher.

Can I use a plastic bag, or bags marked 'degradable' or 'biodegradable' to line my kitchen caddy? 

No. Plastic bags, including degradable and biodegradable bags, will contaminate the FOGO bin, as they are not compostable - they are essentially plastics that decompose faster than a traditional plastic bag but eventually break down into microplastics (very small pieces of plastic) that can pollute the environment. 

Instead, place only bags marked as 'certified compostable' with the symbol shown below, in your lime-green lid FOGO bin. Or as an alternative, you can place food waste directly into the FOGO bin or use paper towel and newspaper to line your kitchen caddy or to wrap food waste. 

Two rolls of green compostable bin liners will be provided with the FOGO bin along with the bench-top caddy as part of funding received through Better Bins Plus program.