Warrnambool City Council reports increased contamination of FOGO bins

A spokesman said both their contractor and one of the end processing facilities had recently observed increases in contamination levels.

He said contaminated bins, and those weighing over 80 kilograms, would miss out on fortnightly collection.

It comes after The Standard was contacted by a handful of residents whose Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) bins had not been collected for over a month, creating bad smells and forcing them to let their lawns and gardens to become overgrown.

A ratepayer who lives in Warrnambool's Johnstone Road said his full bin failed to be collected back in July.

He said he left it out a fortnight later, it was again not collected and a note was left saying it was too heavy.

The man said he was given a temporary second bin to transfer some of the waste into and expected collection to go ahead this Sunday, eight weeks and 11 phone calls after he first made contact.

The man said a maximum of 80 kilograms was "pretty pathetic" and he wished for better communication from council.

"We have a smaller bin for general household rubbish and there doesn't appear to be any limit on that one," he said.

The council spokesman said bins that wee too heavy may damage the collection truck's lifting equipment and the bin.

He said heavy bins could be a challenge coming into growing season with increased volumes and/or because the contents was damp.

He said contamination of FOGO with metals, plastics and other general household waste was an ongoing challenge.

"Increased FOGO contamination has the potential to result in increased gate fees at processing facilities," the spokesman said.

"Bins are frequently checked prior to emptying and bins with a history of contamination are monitored.

"Almost all residents are very careful about sorting their household waste after receiving a contamination sticker. Education is the key to reducing the volume of waste that is sent to landfill.

"Council aims to divert as much waste as possible to recycling or composting facilities."

There were more than 6200 tones of FOGO collected in 2020-21

Under the current Victorian Government reforms FOGO services will be in place state-wide by 2030.

As a general rule, any waste that comes from a plant or animal can go in your FOGO bin.

How can I keep my FOGO below 80kgs?

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