INFORMATION

Green FOGO Bin

 

The FOGO service takes food scraps and garden waste added to the green-lid FOGO bin and professionally recycles it into compost at our commercial composting facility in Merimbula.  

FOGO bins are collected every week.

 

Accepted items:

✅ Cooked and raw food waste, including fruit, vegetables, bread rice, pasta, coffee grounds and loose leaf tea

✅ Meat, bones and seafood, including oyster shells

✅ Small branches (less than 50mm diameter)

✅ Grass clippings and accepted weeds (not all weeds are accepted, see below for details)

✅ Plant and shrub prunings

✅ Flowers and leaves

✅ Certified compostable caddy liners - look for the Australian Standars AS 4736 and seedling logo 

 

Items NOT accepted in the FOGO bin:

❌ Artificial flowers and plants 

❌ Cardboard and paper

❌ Compostable or biodegradable labelled items and packaging

❌ Dead animals

❌ Fruit and vegetable stickers

❌ Garden equiptment

❌ Human or animal hair

❌ Kitty litter and pet waste

❌ Logs, stumps, treated timber and sawdust

❌ Nappies and wipes, even if labelled compostable

❌ Paper towels and tissues

❌ Pizza boxes and cardboard takeaway food containers

❌ Plant pots

❌ Rocks and soil

❌ Sharps and medical waste

❌ Tea bags

 

Not all weeds can be disposed of in your FOGO bin 

Any high risk weeds listed within the South East Regional Strategic Weed Management Plan 2023–2027 or as a State Priority Weed by DPI are prohibited from being placed in your FOGO bin. 

These weeds should not be transported and must be destroyed on-site to prevent their spread (many invasive species can spread vegetatively from plant parts, not just from seeds). 

Visit Councils website for more information.

 

Tips:

  • DO NOT place plastic bags in your green bin, including plastic produce bags from supermarkets.
  • 240 litre FOGO bins are provided as a standard size, however Council also has 80 litre and 140 litre FOGO bins (fees apply). Visit this page to apply to change the size or number of your bins.
  • FOGO bins are also available to businesses in the Bega Valley. Contact Council on 6499 2222 to discuss your options for FOGO for Business.
  • Has your bin been tagged? Council has a kerbside bin Contamination Policy to manage incorrect bin usage. Visit Councils website for more information.

 

Placing your bins out:

  • Place bins out the night before collection, at the kerb or roadside with the opening to the road.
  • Keep bins 0.5 metre apart and at least 2 metres away from obstructions like parked cars and trees.
  • Make sure the bin lid can shut - overfilled bins may not be emptied.
  • If you're struggling to pull the bin, it may be too heavy for the truck to life and empty (80kg limit).
  • Bring bins back to your property as soon as possible after collection. Do not leave bins at the roadside, verge or nature strip.

 

A kerbside service is not available to all residents. Please call Council on 6499 2222 to discuss your options.