Three-bin FOGO system set for Perth suburb despite concerns
The three-bin food organics garden organics collection system will be coming to the Town of Victoria Park this year despite concerns from staff they may not be able to get the word out in time.
All WA local governments were given until 2025 to transition to the FOGO system as part of the State Government's current waste strategy.
Councillors voted in December 2020 to implement a garden organics collection, which would be followed by a FOGO collection.
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Last month it proceeded with a tender for the supply of FOGO bins, lids, and associated materials and services.
However, staff had recommended at the May 20 council meeting that the town hold off on rolling out FOGO bins until March 2026 at the latest so a report into processing capacities and capabilities could be prepared.
The town's general waste is sent to Tamala Park, which does not have the capacity to process FOGO waste.
A council report said there had been FOGO processing challenges, such as not enough sites that could process the waste, and a review of the Government's waste strategy could result in a less strict deadline.
But the council unanimously backed mayor Karen Vernon's proposal that the town roll out the FOGO system by August and start an education campaign from June 1.
Ms Vernon said the town could to enter into a short-term contract to start FOGO this year and there was no evidence FOGO material would end up in landfill.
'It is most optimal for the implementation of FOGO to commence well before the start of summer, and November is too late,' she said.
'The town has sufficient time to conduct a waste education campaign for the community and secure the delivery of those bins well before November 2025.
'Deferring implementation of FOGO this year and bringing only a status report back to council in March 2026 creates the risk that firstly the current FOGO service providers will reach their existing maximum capacity, leaving no options available to the town if no additional processing capacity develops in WA by 2026.
'Secondly, the town misses a valuable opportunity to assess the success of our community's adoption of FOGO and resolve any problems via a short-term contract before considering a longer-term arrangement.'
If a bin contains hazardous waste or repeated high levels of contamination, the bin may be stickered shut and not collected.
Chief operations officer Natalie Adams said there was a 'slight risk' the June 1 deadline set by the council meant the town could send out information that had not been confirmed.
'The communications team have advised they would need 10-12 weeks in preparation for a campaign on the rollout strategy,' she said.
'The waste calendar that needs to come out does require a date for us to put in.
'In order for them to roll out and say that caddies and bins are coming on a certain date, we do have to have some certainty around that.'
Ms Adams said there was a correlation between the amount of education a community received before FOGO was rolled out and contamination rates.
Town chief financial officer Duncan Olde said the deadline to print the town's waste calendar was getting close.
'I wouldn't say tomorrow but it's very soon we got to lock that in,' he said.
Ms Vernon asked if the campaign could start with educating people about what to do with the FOGO system and then telling them the rollout date once it had been decided on.
Town CEO Carl Askew said the short answer was 'no' but if the campaign was delivered in two phases — information about the delivery of bins and caddies, and then education — then 'anything is possible'.
Part of the council's debate was closed to the public as it involved confidential items.
City of Belmont CEO John Christie said more than 17,900 of its households had made the switch to FOGO since it was rolled out there in February 2024.
'Thanks to our community's efforts, over 4500 tonnes of organic waste have already been diverted from landfill, and we've seen an 11 per cent increase in recycling rates,' he said.
'It's a great example of what we can achieve when we work together.'
Belmont staff have been checking residents' bins to ensure they are putting the right materials in their bins.
Some bins have been stickered shut and residents must re-sort their rubbish out before arranging for a collection.
Mr Christie said the city's preference was to work with residents to improve how they managed their household waste.
'When a bin is found to be contaminated, the city generally collects the bin and provides residents feedback on what material goes in which bin to help them sort their waste correctly in future,' he said.
'In some cases, if a bin contains hazardous waste or repeated high levels of contamination, the bin may be stickered shut and not collected.
'Before the bin can be emptied, the resident will need to remove the hazardous or contaminated materials or contact the city to discuss their options.
'This applies to all bin types and the process was in place prior to the FOGO rollout.'
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