What to put in the FOGO bin

Please place food scraps and garden waste in the FOGO bin. Do not place oyster shells, tea bags, animal droppings or nappies into the bin. By keeping contaminated items out we can ensure the compost created is of a high quality.

Click on the images below to find out what can and cannot go into the FOGO bin.

Kitchen caddy and liners

Households in the pilot receive a free kitchen caddy and annual supply of 150 kitchen caddy liners.

Kitchen caddies are used to store food scraps and are dishwasher safe. They can be emptied into the FOGO bin along with garden waste.

Tip: Instead of using kitchen caddy liners you can tip loose food scraps directly into your FOGO bin.

Kitchen caddy liners are optional and must meet the AS 5810 Australian compostability standard. Please do not use plastic and biodegradable liners, as they contaminate the compost. You can buy extra compostable liners from the supermarket or order them from the ACT Government. Check for the home compostable symbol (PNG 56.3 KB). All liners in FOGO bins must meet the AS 5810 compostability standard.

Compostable products

Only compostable caddy liners can be used in FOGO bins. They help divert food waste from landfill by enabling easier food waste collections for households.

No other compostable products can be placed in the FOGO bin. This is because many compostable products contain additives to provide water and grease resistance in food packaging. They can include perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which may cause human and environmental harm. All Australian governments have agreed to prevent the release of PFAS where practicable.

For more information see the National perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances position statement (PDF).

Additional support and bin space

Based on the measured volume of waste collected in the ACT, a fortnightly landfill waste collection suits most households.

Support for large households and those with medical needs is available. Contact FOGO@act.gov.au or call 13 22 81.

If you need more bin space you can increase the size of your landfill or recycling bins. You can also order an additional bin. Complete the additional or upgraded bin form. Annual fees apply and are pro-rata.

Pilot expansion

All States and Territories have agreed to deliver FOGO collections to households through the National Waste Policy Action Plan. About 32% of Australians have access to a FOGO service.

In the ACT, roughly one-third of the waste in household landfill bins is food (IMG 266.1 KB). A FOGO service helps keep food waste out of landfill, reduces harmful greenhouse gases and turns food waste into compost.

The pilot is the first step to introducing a Canberra wide FOGO collection service. This is expected to occur in 2026 once a large-scale FOGO processing facility has been built.

The FOGO pilot in Belconnen will continue until the Canberra-wide FOGO roll out.

Compost, bokashi and worm farms

You can use your FOGO bin for items you cannot put in your home compost bin or worm farm such as bones, meat, and seafood. If you use bokashi, you can put the material from the bokashi bin into the FOGO bin after it has composted (if you have nowhere to bury it).

You are still able to use your FOGO bin for garden waste, along with the food scraps.

Odour

Following these few handy tips will help minimise odour:

• put out your FOGO bin every week – even if it is not full
• freeze fish and meat waste and put them in your FOGO bin the morning of collection
• use a sprinkling of bicarbonate soda to deodorise your bin
• hose your bin out regularly and let it dry completely
• keep your bin in the shade.

Please do not put nappies in the FOGO bin as this causes contamination. They must go in the landfill bin. In addition to the above tips, consider doing the following to minimise odour caused by nappies in the landfill bin:

• tip nappy contents into the toilet before you throw the nappy into the bin
• wrap the nappy tightly into itself and use the tabs to secure
• tie nappy in a compostable bag, removing air
• close the lid properly.

A ‘Community Nappy Trial’ conducted by Lake Macquarie City Council showed that the odour of bins containing nappies at the end of a fortnight were no worse than the odour of regular general waste bins at the end of a week. Furthermore, the trial showed that odour does not significantly increase with time, nor with the number of nappies in the bin.

Reducing food waste

A large bin audit in South Australia found that more than 70% of food thrown in the bin was edible. This shows why reducing food waste is just as important as recycling food waste.

If you are interested in keeping food waste out of landfill:

• visit our Recyclopaedia for other local composting options
• set up a home compost or worm farm
• view love food hate waste for ideas on how to reduce food waste.

Processing of materials

The FOGO material is processed at Corkhill Bros at the Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre using a method known as Aerated Static Pile Composting. This method involves two phases, the first phase involves the FOGO material being placed within an enclosed area where temperature, moisture and aeration is actively controlled. This enclosed area helps minimise odours escaping and accelerates the composting process. In the second phase, the compost material is moved into open windrows (long rows of the material) for final maturation for approximately five weeks. The entire process takes around eight weeks before the FOGO material is ready to be returned to the earth to grow more food.

Corkhill Bros use the FOGO material in their compost and soil conditioners. These can be purchased directly from Corkhill Bros.

Resources

FOGO brochure
(PDF 277.1 KB)

Videos