The Scrap Together Campaign Aids in the Implementation of the New FOGO Rules

Following a state-wide clarification of its FOGO rules, the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has launched a campaign to re-educate the community on organics recycling. Residents are reminded that green bin contents are limited to food and garden waste, as well as certified compostable and paper-based caddy bin liners. Rebecca Bruce, Council's Waste Education Project Officer, stated that the EPA's Scrap Together campaign is a good first step towards providing the community with up-to-date information.

"One of our biggest challenges is that, even though we began our FOGO journey in 2018, many people already know how to use their green-lid bin," Ms Bruce explained.

"In the Bega Valley, the rules of what is and isn't allowed in these bins have now changed, and it's great to have EPA support with the rollout of their Scrap Together campaign."

It's a straightforward campaign that emphasises the importance of the FOGO service and how effective it is at reducing large amounts of organic waste going to landfills.

"We appreciate that contaminants are a key focus of the campaign because they are always a major challenge."

Many people are aware that food scraps can be disposed of in the green bin, but many are unaware that plastic or even certified compostable food packaging cannot.

"Similarly, many of the things we've been told not to compost at home, such as citrous, bones, and dairy products, can go in the green lid bin and be processed safely using our composting facility."

According to Ms Bruce, the campaign will allow Council to improve the quality of compost produced by the FOGO service.

Ms Bruce stated, "We're proud of the progress we've made in producing a high-quality product while diverting thousands of tonnes of food waste from landfill."

However, we know that with targeted education, we can improve it even more.

"The Scrap Together campaign was piloted in the councils of Forbes, Clarence Valley, and Kempsey, yielding an average 10% increase in food waste recovered for recycling."

Amanda Kane, EPA Organics Manager, stated that the $10,000 allocated to 25 NSW councils for the Scrap Together campaign includes videos, local media advertising, and mailbox drops.

"The NSW Government has allocated $69 million over the next five years to expand FOGO services and assist councils in collecting food and garden organics from all NSW households by 2030," Ms Kane said.

Visit What Is FOGO? or Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) for more information.