Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO)

What is FOGO?

FOGO stands for Food Organics and Garden Organics.

The proposed FOGO collection service allows food scraps and garden waste to be collected and processed into compost rather than sent to landfill.

Materials accepted would include:

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
  • Meat, bones and seafood
  • Bread, dairy and leftovers
  • Grass clippings
  • Leaves
  • Small branches
  • Garden prunings
  • Garden weeds

Under the proposed model:

  • FOGO would be collected weekly
  • Each household would receive a 140-litre FOGO bin and kitchen caddy
  • Material would be processed locally, at the Castlemaine Transfer Station
  • Compost produced would be reused locally

Why weekly FOGO collection?

Food waste breaks down quickly and can create odours and attract pests if stored for long periods.

Weekly collection is proposed to:

  • Reduce odour and hygiene issues
  • Minimise pests and maggots
  • Improve resident experience
  • Maximise diversion of organics from landfill

Many Victorian councils operating FOGO services use weekly collection for these reasons.

What will the compost be used for?

FOGO materials will be processed into high-quality compost that can be reused locally.

Potential uses include:

  • Council parks and gardens – improving soil health and supporting tree planting
  • Community projects – such as Landcare and local environmental activities
  • Agriculture – potential future use to support local farming
  • Residents – available in bags or bulk, either free or at low cost

Producing compost locally means valuable nutrients are returned to the soil, supporting healthy landscapes and reducing waste.

Compost quality

The proposed FOGO system is designed to turn food and garden organics (FOGO) into safe, high-quality compost here in the shire. FOGO processing will be managed with clear standards and the final product will be suitable for many different uses.

All compost produced must meet the Australian Standard AS4454-2012 (or higher). This standard sets clear rules to make sure compost is safe, well-processed and ready to use. Meeting this standard means the compost can be used with confidence in a wide range of settings.

To make sure these standards are always met, Council will carry out regular quality testing. This ongoing testing will check that the compost stays safe and consistent.

Keeping Contamination Low

Good compost starts with clean input. To produce high-quality compost, contamination must stay below 2%.

To help with this:

  • FOGO collected from households will be checked at the Castlemaine Transfer Station
  • Staff will remove any unsuitable items before processing
  • This gives Council direct control over the quality of materials going into the process and follows best-practice advice from industry experts.

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