What Is A FOGO Bin (Our Ultimate Guide Updated In 2023)

G’day green thumbs!

What is a FOGO bin and how do you use a FOGO bin?

So you’ve got this brand new bin and you still don’t know what to do with it? You might be wondering what does FOGO mean and how to use your FOGO bin. Wonder no longer, we will explain it to you.

“Food Organics, Garden Organics” is what FOGO stands for. FOGO waste is made up of organic garden materials, food waste and other compostable items. This waste is collected weekly and turned into compost. This means FOGO waste DOES NOT go to landfill. Helping shape a positive future.

FOGO bins started rolling out in Western Australia in 2019 and people are still wondering what they can and can’t put in them.

We are avid gardeners and composters and are passionate about sharing our expert gardening advice with you.

Your FOGO bin can become a vital part of your gardening system which will aid in preventing food/green waste as well as helping to educate our children.

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What Is FOGO?

FOGO stands for Food Organics Garden Organics and is a three-bin system that allows food scraps and green waste (like garden clippings) to be added to your kerb-side bin collection in a dedicated FOGO bin.

This means less food waste ends up in landfill which significantly helps our environment.

Currently, Australians add over 7 millions tonnes of food to landfill each year. This figure DOES NOT even include garden matter.

What this means is our landfill is producing huge amounts of methane gas as the organic matter decomposes.

I’m sure we all know by now that Methane Gas is a Greenhouse Gas and is NOT a friend to our future.

FOGO began rolling out in some shires across Australia in 2019. The number of shires participating in the rollout is growing every year.

In fact, the Australian Government has committed to rolling out FOGO services to all households by 2023. (That’s soon guys!)

The intention with rolling out the FOGO bin system is to significantly reduce the amount of food and garden matter that ends up in landfill each year and instead, turn it into a useful organic product called compost.

This forms part of our National Waste Action Plan which has a specific goal of halving the amount of organic waste sent to landfill each year. This initiative supports a regenerative or circular food system approach. This means we are adding our waste back into our food system in a healthy way.

The Food Organics and Garden Organics that end up in your FOGO bin will be broken down in commercial composting bins at high temperatures.

This is fantastic because it also means meat products and things like cardboard will break down effectively. This is not always possible in home composting systems.

What CAN You Put In Your FOGO Bin?

All organic food and garden waste can be put in your FOGO bin. This includes

Vegetable and Fruit Scraps including skins, cores and seeds
Tea bags and coffee grounds
Leftovers from meals including meat, fish and bones
Pizza boxes, tissues and serviettes
PET POOP and kitty litter (yes!) as long as it’s in compostable bags
Wooden or Bamboo disposable cutlery or plates
All organic garden waste. This includes but is not limited to; grass clippings, pruned branches, leaf matter, cut flowers, weeds and herbs.

What CAN’T You Put In Your FOGO Bin?

No clothes or fabric (including cloth nappies)
No aerosol cans
No plastic bags (I know, we’re still saying this?)
No takeaway coffee cups or coffee pods
No plastic packaging
No timber that has been painted or treated
Nothing you currently put in your yellow lid recycling bin
No nappies

What Are The Benefits Of Using Your FOGO Bin?

Using your FOGO bin wisely means you are contributing to the reduction of harmful waste going to landfill in Australia. (Pat yourself on the back now!)

Councils that have effectively introduced the three-bin FOGO system are clawing back up to 65% of organic matter that was going to landfill.

You, yes you! will be significantly contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gasses entering our atmosphere.

All the waste collected will be turned into valuable, organic compost which will be utilized for road verges, public gardens and be able to be bought back by individuals for use in residential or commercial landscapes.

This is exactly the cyclical approach we should be aiming for.

Where Can You Buy The End Product (Compost)?

You know what’s great about the three-bin FOGO system? Let me tell you.

It’s been rolling out gradually across the country which means there has been time to:

Iron out any crinkles in the three-bin system
Educate households on how to use the three-bin system
Generate infrastructure to process the FOGO waste
Establish a program to give back to the community

FOGO waste is processed to remove any contaminants. It is then moved into a mixing/preparation program and then stored in windrows for up to six weeks.

It is then screened again and left for another six weeks! Sometimes longer.

From here it is moved into a blending program where it is mixed with other composting material to achieve the final product.

If you live in Western Australia Purearth and Go Organics both utilize FOGO materials. If you live elsewhere it is best to check with your local council.

They will tell you where your FOGO waste is processed and which companies sell it back to the community.

FAQ’S

Can Dog Poo Go In Your FOGO Bin?

Yes! Dog poo and kitty litter can both go in your FOGO bin. We put garden waste into our bin first to prevent food scraps or dog poop from sticking to the bottom. We then collect our dog poo’s up off the lawn with a shovel every couple days and straight into the bin they go!

Although animal waste can’t always be composted in a home system, the temperatures in which your FOGO waste is composted means it will break down efficiently.

How Can I Stop My FOGO Bin From Smelling?

Easy! We always put a layer of garden waste at the bottom of the bin first. We use prunings from our fruit trees, lawn clippings or even just leaf matter that we collect off our paving.

This means when we add food waste or even dog poop, it does not touch the actual bin.

We layer our food waste with garden waste to help prevent icky smells and give our bin a blast with a high pressure hose every few weeks.

Smells can be worse in summer as your organic waste will break down quicker but a quick hose out and leaving it open in the sun to dry is enough to keep smells away.

HOT TIP*** If you have shellfish or meat scraps, put them in a paper bag in the freezer and add them to your bin on the day of collection.

How Do I Prepare For The FOGO System?

If you haven’t already had the FOGO three-bin system rolled out in your area there are a few things you can do to prepare.

Start separating your food waste into a compost container / kitchen caddy
Consider a worm farm, this is a great way to utilize SOME of your food waste
Keep up to date with your local shire council’s FOGO correspondence
Purchase some compostable dog poop bags for when you have a FOGO bin.
Consider ways to reduce your general waste as your bin may reduce in size.

Don’t be scared of FOGO. It is a wonderful way to reduce the food and garden waste that goes to landfill. This waste currently produces harmful methane gas. Creating a better future for our children and grandchildren starts at home. FOGO is a wonderful strategy for our future.

So there you go green thumbs, FOGO may already have rolled out in your neighborhood or perhaps you’re still waiting.

Either way, we hope we’ve shared some valuable information to help you in your transition to the FOGO three-bin system.

There’s never been a more crucial time to be aware of our waste and implement sustainable practices in our home and garden.

Where to from here?

Some councils are beginning to roll out FOUR bin-systems to incorporate recycling of glass as well. It’s onwards and upwards from here folks.

We are avid gardeners who utilize composting systems, chickens, our worm farm and of course FOGO. So be sure to check out the rest of our blog to see what we can help you with!

So, let’s get digging!