Cr Jen Bray

Composters are wonderful humans. They know the value of returning their food scraps and garden clippings to the earth from whence it came. They have been doing this for years, like their parents and grandparents before them, or perhaps they’ve just caught on and realized that you can make fertilizer for free in the bottom of your garden. The joys of a compost heap! So much microbial activity, and wonderful worms busily burrowing away turning waste to humus – the building blocks of life in the garden.

So, I can understand that a lot of people who already compost, are wondering what on earth they need a Green FOGO bin for.

But for the many households who currently don’t sort their green and food waste, this will be a game changer.

Starting on April 8th, Hepburn Shire Council will begin Food Organic Green Organic (FOGO) waste bin collection for all households in townships that currently get a weekly red bin pick up.

Why?

Because organic waste that ends up in landfill is speeding up climate change.

The massive amounts of rotting food and garden clippings trapped under mounds of rubbish in landfill, decomposes without oxygen (anaerobically) which produces methane, a greenhouse gas which is at least 28 times worse than carbon dioxide. By contrast, composting is an aerobic process using oxygen which reduces or prevents methane from forming.

The State Government has declared that all local councils must get food and green waste out of landfill. Fifty-three out of seventy nine councils in Victoria are already doing this.

Food waste makes up more than half the average household’s general rubbish bin. That’s a lot of methane, and a lot of rubbish to pay to take to landfill. Costs to dump at landfill are going up and up, so if we can halve our landfill we can reduce those costs to the ratepayer.

Once organic waste is removed from the landfill bin, it will take longer to fill. So red landfill bins will switch to fortnightly pick up, while Green FOGO bins will be collected weekly.

And the best part is, we can use that organic waste to make the most wonderful substance on the planet – compost.  Our Creswick Transfer station is already producing high quality compost from the trial at Clunes, and is gearing up to take on the whole of Hepburn Shire’s FOGO.

Each household that gets a new lime green lidded bin will also get a kitchen caddy to put on their bench. This should be lined with newspaper, or paper towel, not a plastic bag which will contaminate the FOGO.

What goes in your green FOGO bin?

Fruit and vegetable scraps (including citrus, onions and garlic), meat, bones, seafood, egg shells, dairy, leftovers and out-of-date food, leaves, garden prunings and grass, plants, twigs, grass, non-noxious weeds, coffee grounds and loose leaf tea.

What’s out?

Plastic or compostable or biodegradable bags, coffee pods, compostable or biodegradable items (such as plates and cutlery), cooking oils, kitty litter, animal droppings, tree stumps, noxious weeds and large branches.

Tips to avoid a smelly bin

Keep your FOGO bin in the shade. Freeze meat and fish scraps etc until bin day. Put garden clippings in the bottom to absorb drips.

Like many people who already compost I probably won’t use my green bin much. There’s no opting out, but I am happy to pay for the FOGO service because my contribution will mean:

  • 50% less green organic waste in landfill Shire-wide
  • Huge reduction in harmful greenhouse gas emissions
  • Reduced cost to ratepayers to dump waste in landfill
  • Recovering a valuable resource to make into compost to nourish our soils

And that makes me feel like I’m making a difference towards solving this massive environmental problem. So, I hope you get on board, start sorting and enjoy your new green bin, (whether you use it or not). Because we all need to solve these problems together.

For the full picture on FOGO, Recycling and what goes where, see www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/Residents/Waste/Organics

Councillor Jen Bray is a Daylesford resident and an elected Councillor for Birch Ward. 

Councillor Columns are a regular feature in The Wombat Post. We offer these spaces as an information channel from Council to the community. Councillor Columns are not subject to editorial review by our editorial committee but are published as we receive them from our elected Councillors.