The City of Launceston marked a new FOGO milestone last month, with the 10,000th household registering for the kerbside garden and food organics collection service.
Nearly 40 per cent of the municipality's 26,000 eligible households now have a FOGO bin, and the numbers continue to climb. Launched in October 2017, the City of Launceston's FOGO kerbside collection service was the first of its kind in Tasmania.
Initially limited to the suburban areas of the city, the service was expanded into areas like Windermere and Dilston last year and saw its first commercial registrations in organisations like the Launceston General Hospital and The Grain restaurant at Peppers Silos Hotel.
In order to process organic material into compost, the City of Launceston constructed a dedicated organics processing facility at the Launceston Waste Centre in 2018.
The organics processing facility now processes FOGO waste from other Northern Tasmanian Councils, including kerbside collections from the West Tamar and Central Coast municipalities.
Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said the opt-in FOGO kerbside collection service had been popularised by word of mouth.
"When we initially launched the FOGO collection service three years ago, we had the goal of registering 10 per cent of Launceston households," Mayor van Zetten said.
"We've easily surpassed that number now and I think that's largely due to word of mouth. People register, use their FOGO bin for a few weeks, recognise what a useful service it is, and let their friends know. Once we get a registration in one street, we usually get three or four more in quick succession afterwards.
"Not only does FOGO make sense environmentally, it stacks up financially for residents as well. It's so more convenient and economical than having to take green waste to the tip."
City of Launceston Sustainability Team Leader Michael Attard said compost processed from Launceston's FOGO material was already being supplied to wholesalers, and used in public gardens like City Park and Riverbend Park.
"We're really delighted that so many Launceston households have given FOGO a go," Mr Attard said.
"If you're a Launceston resident and you don't yet have a FOGO service, you can find out all about it on the City of Launceston's website and you can register there as well."
