Wagga Wagga City Council is thanking residents for correctly sorting their food and garden waste into the green lid bins.
In March this year, it was announced that changes had been made to what goes in our green lid bins, also known as FOGO bins (food organics garden organics).
Items such as paper, cardboard, teabags and utensils have been eliminated, with food and garden waste only permitted in the green lid bins.
Manager Gregadoo Waste Management Centre Andrea Baldwin said the community have responded positively to the changes by diverting unwanted items like paper and cardboard from the green lid bins.
"By September 2025 we were able to reduce unwanted items down to just 1.5 per cent, a fantastic achievement for our community," Ms Baldwin said.
"Removing items such as paper and cardboard helps improve the quality of the final compost as many of these products contain adhesives or coatings that affect the safety of the compost produced."
According to research published on the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) NSW's website, items such as baking paper, coffee filters, paper towels, serviettes, fibre-based food containers, coffee cups, pizza boxes, plates, bowls, paper bags, and cardboard packaging, and other compostable plastic bags often contain additives to provide water and grease resistance in food packaging which may cause human and environmental harm (EPA NSW 2024).
In May this year a giveaway of compost made from the green lid bin waste was held at Gregadoo Waste Management Centre which was popular amongst the community.
The compost giveaway was a way to connect residents with the end product of their waste-sorting efforts.
"The cleaner the food and garden waste materials we put into the green lid bins, the cleaner the compost is, which is used in agriculture and public spaces," Andrea Baldwin said.
"Wagga Wagga City Council is pleased with the efforts residents have made to adapt to the changes."
