New FOGO rules expected to have little impact on ‘prepared’ City of Rockingham

New rules for what people can put in their rubbish bins are not expected to have a major impact in the City of Rockingham.

The updated guidelines, developed by the WA Local Government Association, representatives from local government, the waste industry and State Government, aim to simplify what can be placed in food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bins.

From the beginning of this financial year, only food scraps, garden waste and certified compostable caddy liners displaying the AS 4736 seedling logo should go into FOGO bins.

Items that were previously accepted, including tea bags, tissues, paper towels, pet waste and compostable takeaway packaging, must now be placed in general waste bins instead.

At this point, the changes will not affect collection days, bin sizes or how FOGO services operate.

The aim is to make it easier for residents to understand what belongs in the FOGO bin.

The introduction of FOGO into Rockingham has been a rocky road, with residents complaining about the fortnightly collections.

Issues with the FOGO bins in Rockingham include shocking images of maggots spilling from lids, reports of foul smells and rubbish dumping at parks.

Mayor Lorna Buchan said the new guidelines would have limited impact in the City of Rockingham as they affected only a small number of items and had been anticipated prior to the rollout of its service.

“Some changes had been proposed by DWER (Department of Water and Environmental Regulation) and these informed our decision to exclude items such as pet waste, tea bags and compostable takeaway containers from the outset,” she said.

“As a result, the city has been anticipating this update for more than 12 months and is well prepared to implement the changes.”

The city will provide targeted communications and update existing educational materials and digital resources with the new guidelines.

Ms Buchan said the city had generally received positive feedback on its FOGO service.

In its first 12 months of operation the city’s program has diverted an additional 12,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, taking the total diversion in the green bins to 22,000 tonnes for the year.

“Some residents have expressed concerns about the move to fortnightly general waste collections and reduced red bin capacity, and the city acknowledges that adjusting to new waste management practices can take time for some households,” Ms Buchan said.

“The city offers a range of support options, including additional general waste bin services for eligible households and no-cost additional red lid bins with weekly collection for residents managing medical-related waste, subject to eligibility criteria.

“FOGO is an important initiative that helps divert food and garden waste from landfill and turn it into a valuable soil improver, supporting a more sustainable approach to waste management.”

The city defended its handling of FOGO in response to questions at the council’s July meeting.

Waikiki resident Charles Rose had asked why there had not been a trial period, and Golden Bay resident Callon Leam asked if the city could check what the rubbish service needs were for each property in the city and tailor them appropriately.

In answers that were published at last month’s meeting, corporate services acting director Michael Yakas said a trial was not needed as FOGO was operating successfully in 26 other local governments.

He said waste collection operated on fixed schedules and resources and varied collections would increase operational complexity and cost.

A DWER spokesperson said the new guidelines were developed through a collaborative process to ensure consistency of key messages.

“FOGO works best when households keep it simple by putting food scraps and garden waste in the bin,” the spokesperson said. “The list was amended to reduce confusion and help households sort with confidence.

“Households will continue to place the vast majority of their kitchen and garden organic waste into the FOGO bin, where it can be turned into valuable compost instead of being sent to landfill.

“Residents can continue to maximise space in their red-lidded general waste bin by placing food scraps and garden waste in their FOGO bin and recyclable items in their yellow-lidded recycling bin.

“Decisions about bin sizes, collection services and any associated charges are matters for individual local governments, which are responsible for delivering household waste services to their communities.”

A WALGA spokesperson said the change continued to be a “gradual transition”, with local governments taking the opportunity to review their accepted materials and undertake change over to the new list.

“The release of a new State Waste Strategy and Implementation Roadmap is long overdue and it is significantly impacting local governments’ ability to plan future services and waste management initiatives,” the spokesperson said.

“WALGA continues to call on the State Government to allocate all funds generated from the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Levy, some $80 million per year, to fund the strategic waste management initiatives, including FOGO implementation and support.”