New bin for millions of Aussies as major FOGO change becomes official
As Australia fights to reduce the surge of household and food waste ending up in landfill, the nation's most populous state has officially passed "landmark legislation" to overhaul kerbside collection that will soon impact every home.
Australia generates a massive amount of waste, with approximately 75 million tonnes produced per year. In NSW, waste disposal remains a significant issue, with landfill sites struggling to cope with increasing volumes, so much some areas are expected to have their landfill sites hit capacity by 2030.
Now, the state government has announced FOGO bins will be mandated across all homes and businesses in the coming years, in an effort it said will divert one million tonnes of food and garden scraps from landfill into compost each year.
The government stated that the majority of the waste will be converted into compost for parks, sports fields, and agriculture. Under the new regulations, FOGO collection services will become mandatory for households by July 2030, while businesses and institutions will need to comply much sooner, by July next year.
The bin system will be rolled out at supermarkets, pubs, cafes, universities, schools, hotels and hospitals.
In NSW less than half of the state's 128 councils currently offer FOGO bins. However with many inner city councils getting on board, that means about 69 per cent of households in the state have the composting bin, according to the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That same agency predicted Sydney and some surrounding areas will run out of landfill space by 2030 — putting a ticking clock on the need to increase recycling rates and divert food waste from landfill.
As much as 40 per cent of our regular bin waste is discarded food, according to BioPak CEO and Compost Connect board member, Gary Smith.
"And that's what's doing damage in landfill, that's what going into our environment, under the ground and creating methane. If we can divert that, that's a huge win," he told Yahoo News in December.
The road to mandated FOGO has been bumpy. For instance, in 2022 NSW councils were reportedly blindsided by new EPA rules on what could go in the green bins.
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Meanwhile last year the public was urged to better comply with the rules after the body of a deceased pet dog and even a grenade was found in the waste stream, among other non-organics.
This week, NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe acknowledged the state's long-standing neglect of the landfill capacity crisis, stating, "we cannot kick this can down the road any longer."
She said the new FOGO laws position NSW as a national leader in tackling food waste, making it the first state to mandate this recycling initiative statewide. Large supermarkets will be required to report the quantity and type of surplus food donated to charities such as OzHarvest, Second Bite and Foodbank.
Sharpe said the legislation is backed by significant government investment, with $81 million allocated to help councils transition to FOGO by 2030. According to the NSW government, this funding will primarily support councils by providing bins, kitchen caddies, liners, contamination audits, community education programs, and staffing.
with NCA Newswire
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