FOGO waste service ready for citywide rollout
07 June 2023
Ipswich City Council will be setting the standard as the first council in Queensland to adopt a citywide Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) waste collection as a part of a three-bin core service.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Chair Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said FOGO has been operating in Ipswich as an opt-in user pays service for several years.
It was also trialled in 1,000 homes across Raceview and Bellbird Park since 2021 as a core service and would be available to more Ipswich residents from next year.
‘’This initiative enables residents to recycle their food organics and garden organics by disposing of them separately from general waste,” Mayor Harding said.
“The expansion of the current opt-in FOGO service to a citywide core service means that an additional green lid FOGO bin will be included alongside the regular kerbside general waste red lid and co-mingled yellow lid bin collections.’’
These additional households will join the current 26,000 properties that already have a FOGO service and the FOGO collection will be a fortnightly service, alternating with recycling collection.
The implementation of the citywide FOGO service is scheduled to begin early in the 2024-2025 financial year, with an exact date yet to be finalised.
“By diverting organic waste from landfill, council aims to make significant progress in improving recycling rates and supporting our resource recovery strategy,” Mayor Harding said.
“This change aligns with the council's commitment to environmental sustainability and the promotion of a circular economy.”
Residents will benefit from this initiative in several ways:
- Cost effectiveness: Diverting waste from landfill will reduce the impact of the state's waste landfill levy on council rates for Ipswich residents.
- Meeting standards: Diverting organics from landfill contributes to state waste diversion targets.
- Environmental sustainability: Residents will be able to divert organic waste from landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving a higher recycling rate.
- Future Ipswich City: Promoting a circular economy by transforming organic waste into quality compost or other valuable end products.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Deputy Chairperson Councillor Paul Tully, said the introduction of the FOGO service will not affect the existing kerbside collection services.
“The FOGO service is specifically designed to collect organic waste and promote resource recovery,” Cr Tully said.
‘’If residents want to start recycling their food and garden organic material today, they have the option to commence an opt-in FOGO service before 2024-2025 by visiting the FOGO page on the council website.
‘’Council is excited to embark on this innovative initiative, and we look forward to the positive environmental impact it will have on our community.”
For the most up-to-date information on the FOGO service and other resource recovery initiatives, please visit the council website. To stay informed, residents can download the Ipswich Bin App and sign up for updates and announcements via the Resource Recovery in Ipswich page.