Use your weekly green bin for Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) such as kitchen scraps, grass clippings, leaves, small branches, shrubs and weeds.

Your green bin is collected weekly with the red Waste to Landfill bin. Contents are sent to a local processing facility to be made into compost.

What is FOGO?

Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) is a kerbside collection service that allows food to be added to the green lid garden waste bin so it can be recycled into quality compost.

FOGO made easy 

Residents are provided with a kitchen caddy and compostable bags to assist in the recycling of all organic waste from your kitchen. Simply line the caddy with a compostable liner, fill it with food waste and then empty the contents into your green FOGO bin.

Compostable liners are optional, if preferred food waste can be left loose.

Tip: Empty your kitchen caddy regularly into your green lid FOGO bin. Compostable bags deteriorate quickly when in contact with liquids, to prevent spills bring your caddy out to the bin.

Where you can get your FOGO Caddies & Liners

We have a limited number of liner rolls and caddies available, which residents can collect for free from the following locations:

You can also buy liners displaying the AS 4736 code and seedling logo from most supermarkets and hardware stores. See Wollongong Waste’s Compostable Liner Guide for details.

What you CAN place in your FOGO Bin

  • fruit & vegetable scraps
  • take away food
  • meat & bones (raw or cooked)
  • bread, cakes, pasta & rice
  • loose tea leaves & coffee grounds
  • spoiled food (removed from packaging)
  • eggshells, eggs & dairy products
  • flowers and herbs
  • seafood (shells, bones)
  • grass clippings, leaves & small branches
  • compostable liners (limited)
    1. Compostable bags (provided by Council AS4736) or purchased according to our Compostable Liner Guide
    2. Paper towel (limited) used to collect and transfer food waste to the FOGO

These items MUST NOT be placed in your FOGO Bin 

  • plastic bags, soft plastics & biodegradable bags
  • tissues, paper and cardboard (including shredded paper)
  • baking paper
  • tea bags or coffee bags/filters
  • food soiled pizza boxes
  • food soiled paper bags
  • plastic packaging including cling film & bags
  • garden hose & planting pots
  • building waste, rocks & soil
  • sharps (needles), medicines, batteries & toys
  • pet waste & kitty litter
  • nappies & personal hygiene products
  • metal, glass & plastic recyclables
  • clothing & textiles

FOGO Tips

  • All food waste goes into FOGO: raw or cooked meat, bones, fish, bread, cheese, out of date food, food scraps are all accepted.
  • Meat and seafood scraps can be frozen until collection day. Freeze them in the compostable caddy liners provided and throw it straight into your green lid FOGO bin just before collection.
  • To minimise odour in your green lid FOGO bin layer food scraps alternately with your garden organics (eg: lawn clippings).
  • Where possible put your green lid FOGO bin in a shady well-ventilated spot.
  • Empty your kitchen caddy regularly into your green lid organics bin.
  • Compostable bags are made to break down, bring the caddy to the bin when you empty contents into the green lid FOGO bin.
  • Even if there’s only a small amount in your green lid FOGO bin put it out every week.
  • If you put the wrong items into your FOGO Bin it may not be collected.

For more information about FOGO visit Wollongong Council FOGO page.

Meet our FOGO Heroes

These are everyday people, some who may be your neighbours and friends, but who are also secretly FOGO experts. For more information visit Meet our FOGO Heros | Wollongong City Council 

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