Town of Bassendean residents will soon be able to recycle Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) waste, as the Town changes to a better practice, three-bin collection service.
The McGowan Government has supported Bassendean's FOGO transition via the original Better Bins Program. The Town of Bassendean signed up to the program in July 2018 and by June 30, 2021, the Town would have received a total of $232,500 in grants through this program ($30 per household). Local governments that have already accessed Better Bins funding of $30 per household can apply for Better Bins Plus: Go FOGO funding of up to an additional $15 per household.
Bassendean's FOGO system is a joint project between the Town of Bassendean, the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council and the State Government through the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Account and administered by the Waste Authority.
To mark the rollout, Environment Minister Stephen Dawson today visited Bassendean to see the thousands of new bins ready for delivery. After a community education and awareness program, the Bassendean council adopted the new kerbside collection system and is the first council north of the river to make the change.
The general waste bins and Food Organics and Garden Organics bins will be delivered to residents on their normal bin day between July 27 and August 8.
Town of Bassendean residents will also receive a new kitchen caddy for materials such as tea bags, coffee grounds, paper towels, tissues, dairy, bakery, grain, eggshells, meat scraps, apple cores and banana peels.
The Town is delivering:
- 6,461 red lidded general waste bins (140L);
- 525 red lidded general waste bins (240L);
- 6,991 green lidded FOGO waste bins (240L); and
- 6,991 kitchen caddies.
The McGowan Government is delivering initiatives to reduce waste in Western Australia as part of its Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030, and is supporting local governments such as Bassendean to help get their waste sorted.
The State Government has committed $20 million of funding to support local governments to transition to the three-bin, Food Organics and Garden Organics services, through the Better Bins Plus: Go FOGO program.
For more information on FOGO, visit http://www.wastesorted.wa.gov.au
As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
"It's fantastic to see Bassendean starting the rollout of this new FOGO service to all 7,300 households, and I hope more local governments will see the benefits and soon follow suit.
"With the money offered through the Better Bins Plus: Go FOGO program - which is accessible to all local governments across the State - all councils can help their residents play a role in recovering value from their waste.
"Food and other organic waste make up around two thirds of what goes into your red bin in Western Australia. A kerbside service that collects food waste can achieve recovery rates of around 65 per cent, supporting Western Australia's landfill diversion targets.
"By recovering food waste we can stop it ending up in landfill which has significant impacts on the environment and human health through greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, loss of biodiversity and resource depletion."
As stated by Bassendean MLA Dave Kelly:
"I commend Mayor McLennan for her support of the McGowan Government's Better Bins Plus: Go FOGO program - I know she is a passionate and committed supporter of sustainability innovations.
"I encourage residents in the Town of Bassendean to get behind this program and support our move towards more consistent and better performing waste management services."
