Resident stumped over new bin as FOGO rollout ramps up before council deadline

Yahoo

3 days ago

Councils across the country are ramping up distribution of food and garden organics (FOGO) bins, but Australians are still divided by the rollout — with one resident telling Yahoo News she was a bit bemused when a small bin "just turned up at my door one day".
Ivy Boulton, who resides in Branxton in the NSW Hunter Valley said she received "no warning" when a countertop FOGO bin arrived at her door in June. Despite saying she'll do her best to incorporate the new bin into her waste disposal routine, she's not too sure if others will follow suit.
"It's just an extra step in what they already have in their routine with the red and the yellow bins... People are lazy," she told Yahoo. "I think if everyone uses it, it might be enough to make a difference, but for as long as people are refusing to use it, I don't know how much of a difference it's going to make."
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Australians divided over FOGO push
After Ivy spoke about the incident online, many Australians said they were reluctant to use it, with some accusing their council of not giving them enough information before the rollout occurred.
Cessnock City Council, responsible for the rollout where Ivy lives, did not respond when contacted by Yahoo about the ongoing rollout.
"Worst idea they ever had," one woman said. "I'm all for recycling and separating rubbish... [but] with a bigger family our general waste bin only gets picked up every fortnight, and it's not enough for us, and [we] have more rubbish lying around smelling."
Ivy told Yahoo News some have admitted to her they use their countertop FOGO bin as a "door stopper", while another woman online confessed, "I didn't even know this was becoming a thing!".
However other Aussies in the state say they are all for the new FOGO system.
"[Mine] goes under my sink. FOGO is brilliant... our red bin waste dropped dramatically. FOGO is good, use it," one said, while another claimed, "I like mine".
Ivy has been using her FOGO since it was delivered, but explained her household green waste "barely even covers the bottom of the bin".
"I have been using it since I got it but it's taking some getting used to, and I need to make sure to empty it regularly because it does smell," she said.
New South Wales pledges FOGO mandate by 2030
Cessnock City Council, alongside neighbouring Maitland City Council and Singleton Council, launched a FOGO collection across the Hunter Region at the end of June, with authorities aiming to meet the state government's pledge of mandating FOGO collection by 2030.
"FOGO is a game changer. We're proud to be delivering it across Cessnock, Maitland and Singleton and giving our communities a real opportunity to lead the way in reducing landfill and turning waste into something worthwhile," Cessnock Mayor Dan Watton said. "FOGO will have significant long-term benefits for our environment, economy and community."
The state mandate means food scraps and garden waste will be collected separately from regular household waste, and sent to composting. The NSW government is aiming to halve the amount of organic waste ending up in landfill by 2030.
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