Warrnambool City Council is rolling out a Food Organics Green Organics (FOGO) collection pilot program in March.

Mayor Robert Anderson said the trial was part of the council’s commitment to sustain and enhance the natural environment.

“We need to divert more of our waste out of landfill, which is an expensive and unsustainable way to deal with household waste,” Cr Anderson said.

“The reality is that much of what goes into landfill should not be considered as waste.

“We are already doing a solid job removing our recyclable materials from the waste stream and the Food Organics Green Organics collection will allow us to create something useful – compost – from material that would otherwise end up in landfill.”

The council said diverting FOGO from Warrnambool garbage bins has the potential to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 4,000 tonnes of CO2 e (carbon dioxide equivalent) annually. 

This equates to removing 857 cars off the road every year.

During the pilot study the FOGO material will be collected by Warrnambool Green Waste and processed and composted at the Panmure Composting Facility. 

“During the FOGO trial we will gather information about quantities of material collected, how residents use the service, what the impact is on garbage and recycling collection, and what aspects of the service need further development,” Cr Anderson said. This information will be used to inform decision making and planning for the wider implementation of a FOGO service to all Warrnambool households in the future.

There is no additional cost for residents involved in the pilot, which will run for just under four months.

The trial was given an allocation in the 2017/18 council budget. 

The households involved will receive a FOGO bin, kitchen caddy, compostable bin liners and brochures in the first fortnight of February, 2018. Moyne and Corangamite shires already offer a green waste collection service.