In just 2 months, Boroondara residents have increased the amount of waste they divert away from landfill from 49 percent to almost 70 percent.
This is the result of a new weekly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside collection service, which we launched on Monday 4 May 2020.
Residents are now diverting more than 200 tonnes of food waste from landfill per week by putting it into their lime-green FOGO bin.
The food waste is then hot composted and turned into soil conditioner for use in horticulture and agriculture to grow more food and protect soils. It is also reducing our community's environmental footprint.
For the last 16 years, the amount of waste Boroondara has diverted from landfill has consistently measured around 50 percent with weekly recycling and fortnightly green waste collections.
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FOGO has enabled an extra 20 percent to be diverted, and this percentage is only expected to increase as more residents adjust to the new system and those in Phase 2 (units between 4 to 15 properties) and Phase 3 (businesses) are transitioned to the new service.
What Boroondara residents say about FOGO
Just wanted to say how impressive the FOGO changes are! I appreciate the innovative and proactive approach. It has made me aware of how much food waste went into our landfill bin, and more aware of what is still in my landfill bin. - Glennis, Surrey Hills
We are loving it! We can see our weekly waste being cut down dramatically, and knowing the food and garden waste is composted is a great feeling. We keep each other accountable by checking what is and isn't allowed and reinforce our good habits. - Calvin, Ashburton
Congratulations on our efforts at landfill minimisation. Our seven-person household is managing with an 80L bin - and we hope to continue into the future with our little bin, even with fortnightly collections. - Deb, Balwyn
