Figures from Bega Valley Shire Council’s Waste Services has shown a massive reduction in organic waste going to landfill throughout the previous year.
The council says that an extra 883 tonnes of organic waste has been composted since November 2020, which it says is down to the recent expansion of the Council’s food organics and garden organics (FOGO) project to local business.
Council’s FOGO for Business Project Officer, Rechelle Fisher said the initiative has received high levels of support.
“FOGO for Business has so far helped 97 local businesses make major improvements to the way they deal with compostable waste,” Fisher said.
“Signed up businesses can tap into one-on-one assistance from our project officers, and they can access a range of resources, including educational signage and stickers, larger FOGO caddies, and compostable bin and caddy liners to transition away from single-use plastic.”
Local cafes, restaurants, butchers, florists, offices, hairdressers, and preschools are just some of the businesses which Council says have signed on to the initiative.
Council’s Waste Strategy Coordinator, Joley Vidau said the success of the project is due to the enthusiasm of participating businesses, as well as the simplistic process which business can follow to join the program.
“All you need is to fill out the ‘Changing the Size or Number of your Bins Form’ on our free waste app or website, wait for delivery of your bins and caddies, and your business will be good to go,” Vidau said.
“We would love to see more businesses signing up for this service to keep increasing our diversion rates from landfill and turning it into our great compost we offer the community. If you need help to get signed up and get FOGOing, our Waste Project Officers are here to help you get it sorted.”
The program is supported through the the Environmental Trust as part of the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority’s Waste Less Recycle More initiative, funded from the waste levy.
For businesses who want to join the program, head to the Council’s dedicated webpage here.
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