More Links

Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO)

What is FOGO?

FOGO stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics.

It is a kerbside collection service that allows residents to place food scraps and garden waste in their green-lid bin.

This includes items such as:

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Meat and seafood (including bones)
  • Dairy and eggshells
  • Coffee grounds and tea leaves
  • Grass clippings, leaves and small branches

FOGO expands the existing green waste service, which has been used by more than 7,400 homes in the Sorell municipality since 2024.

Why is Council introducing FOGO?

Around 40–60% of household waste sent to landfill is organic material, such as food and garden waste.

When organic waste goes to landfill it breaks down and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Introducing FOGO will help:

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • Divert large volumes of waste from landfill
  • Create useful compost from organic material
  • Extend the life of landfill sites

Diverting organic waste from landfill is the single biggest action Council can take to reduce emissions, with 83% of Council’s corporate emissions currently linked to landfill waste.

FOGO is also part of Council’s Waste Management Strategy 2023 and helps meet State and National waste reduction targets.

What are the benefits of FOGO?

FOGO will help the community:

  • Reduce landfill waste by diverting food and garden materials
  • Lower greenhouse gas emissions
  • Turn organic waste into compost that can be reused
  • Reduce long-term waste management costs
  • Encourage more sustainable household waste habits

When will FOGO start?

FOGO will commence in July 2026.

Will I need a new FOGO bin?

No. Your existing 240L green-lid green waste bin will become your FOGO bin.

You will receive a small 7 litre kitchen caddy to help you collect your food scraps in the kitchen and transfer them to your FOGO wheelie bin

What can go in the FOGO bin?

Garden waste

  • Grass clippings
  • Leaves
  • Flowers and weeds
  • Small branches

Food waste

  • Fruit and vegetables (including citrus)
  • Meat and seafood
  • Bones and eggshells
  • Dairy products
  • Rice and pasta
  • Coffee grounds and tea leaves
  • Leftover or out-of-date food (removed from packaging)

What cannot go in the FOGO bin?

Please do not place the following items in FOGO:

  • Plastic or biodegradable plastic
  • Plastic bags or cling wrap
  • Glass
  • Cans or tins
  • Aluminium foil
  • Tetrapaks
  • Nappies
  • Treated timber
  • Rocks, soil or building materials
  • Fireplace ash
  • Pet waste
  • Dead animals

These items should go in your general waste bin.

When will I receive my kitchen caddy?

All households in the FOGO service area will receive their kitchen caddy and some information in late June 2026, just before the service begins in July.

What areas will receive FOGO collection?

FOGO will be collected in the same area currently serviced by green waste bins.

Residents who already have green waste service will automatically be included in FOGO.

I already compost at home. Do I still need FOGO?

Home composting is encouraged and residents can continue to compost as they normally would.

FOGO can be used for organic items that are harder to compost at home, such as meat, bones, dairy, citrus and cooked food scraps. This helps ensure these materials are still diverted from landfill and processed safely into compost.

Will FOGO bins smell?

There are a few handy tips and tricks that can help reduce the likelihood of your bin smelling between collections.

Helpful tips:

  • Store your FOGO bin in a shady area
  • Layer kitchen waste with garden waste in your FOGO bin
  • Freeze seafood and meat and other high-odour items and put in the FOGO bin on collection night
  • Sprinkle a little bicarb soda in your FOGO bin to absorb smells
  • Rinse and dry your kitchen caddy after each empty
  • Loose is best but you can line your kitchen caddy with a little bit of paper, a brown paper bag or newspaper to absorb excess moisture

What will happen to the FOGO waste?

Collected FOGO material will be taken to an organic processing facility at the Copping Waste Management Centre, where it will be processed into compost and soil products.

Will my bin collection schedule change?

When FOGO is introduced, the collection schedule will be:

  • FOGO (green lid) collected fortnightly
  • General waste (red lid) will continue to be collected weekly

This means there will be no change to the current weekly general waste collection. The main change is that your green-lid bin will now accept both food and garden waste, and will be collected every two weeks instead of monthly.

This approach allows more organic waste to be diverted from landfill while maintaining the existing weekly garbage service for households.

Why isn’t Council proposing weekly collection for both bins?

Providing weekly FOGO and weekly garbage collection would significantly increase collection and processing costs.

Council is aiming to introduce FOGO in a way that balances environmental benefits with cost to the community.

Will recycling collections change?

No. The yellow recycling bin collection will remain the same.

Will other waste services change?

No changes are currently planned to:

  • Hard waste kerbside collections (twice per year with booking)
  • Bulk green waste kerbside collections (four times per year with booking)

Is it just Sorell Council getting FOGO?

No – many other councils across Tasmania already offer kerbside FOGO collection services.

Councils with FOGO services include:

  • Brighton Council
  • City of Hobart
  • Glenorchy City Council
  • Kingborough Council
  • City of Launceston
  • Burnie City Council
  • Devonport City Council
  • Central Coast Council
  • Kentish Council
  • Latrobe Council
  • Waratah‑Wynyard Council
  • West Tamar Council
  • City of Clarence (introducing FOGO in 2027)

These services mean that thousands of Tasmanian households are already diverting organic waste from landfill today.

Next topic: Kerbside Services