Latrobe City residents are about to receive an exciting upgrade to their household waste and recycling service, making it simpler than ever to do their bit for the environment.
From Wednesday 1 July 2026, food scraps won't be wasted in general rubbish bins. Instead, they can be added to lime green-lidded bins to be turned into mulch and compost.
Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Sharon Gibson said it's a win-win-win situation.
"It's a win for residents, a win for Council and a win for the environment. And the good news is there's no change to bin collection days or times. The only difference will be that food scraps can now be added into the lime green-lidded bin - allowing us all to put our food scraps to good use and be a bit more conscious about caring for our environment," she said.
The new service is part of a wider Victorian Government requirement for changes to kerbside waste collection that must be implemented by 1 July 2027. This program is widely known as Food Organics and Garden Organics, or 'FOGO'.
Households will soon receive an information pack from Latrobe City Council by mail, including a coupon to collect a FOGO caddy from Latrobe City HQ and service centres. The caddies are optional for residents but are a convenient way to collect food scraps in kitchens before adding to lime green-lidded bins. Residents are asked not to use certified compostable liners as they break down too slowly and can trap waste, disrupt processing and can become litter.
"You can drop in to a service centre with the coupon you'll receive in the mail and pick up your free FOGO caddy for your food scraps, or even use something you already have like an ice cream container. But just hold on a little longer! FOGO will be rolling out in July," the Mayor said.
Food scraps accepted in the FOGO bin (lime green-lid) include cooked leftovers, fruit and vegetable scraps, meat, small bones (such as fish, chicken and chop bones), seafood, eggshells, bread, rice, pasta, dairy, ground coffee and used paper towel.
The Mayor said the FOGO service complements at-home composting by accepting certain items which usually cannot be composted at home but are easily composted on a commercial level.
The food and garden waste collected will be taken to a new purpose-built composting facility, Pinegro, in Morwell, Latrobe City. At the facility it will be checked for contaminants, then composted in specially designed chambers, which create high heat and break down the material quickly. It will then be taken and stockpiled to continue the breakdown process, eventually becoming quality mature compost that can be used to grow more food crops.
