Macedon Ranges to roll-out shire-wide FOGO service

Victoria’s Macedon Ranges Shire Council is expanding its FOGO service to all shire households in July. This completes the roll-out, which began in February 2020 to over 16,000 properties across the shire.

Properties and households new to the FOGO service will receive a letter detailing upcoming changes in the coming weeks, including the date for bin deliveries.

“Since the FOGO bins launched, over 9257 tonnes of organic material has been saved from landfill,” Assets and Operations Director Shane Walden said.

He added that FOGO material is turned into a nutrient-rich compost for farms and gardens across Victoria. It will also help local school gardens grow, with council supplying free compost during Compost Awareness Week this May.

“A recent audit of rural general waste bins showed that 45 per cent of the contents were either compostable or recyclable through correct sorting into the right bin,” Walden said.

“The shire-wide roll-out of FOGO ensures all households can dispose of food and garden organics in an environmentally friendly way. This reduces the amount of waste that goes into landfill.”

According to Walden, FOGO services complement existing home composting systems by taking overflow during the colder months when compost can be slower to break down.

“Many people manage their households food and garden waste through home composting, worm farms, chickens and livestock.

“FOGO services can compost things that worms and chickens don’t like to eat. This includes things such as meat, bones, seafood, rose prunings, and weeds, including noxious weeds, pet droppings, compostable kitty litter, compostable packaging and more.”

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