FOGO INFORMATION | 25 OCTOBER

It is great to see the level of interest in the FOGO rollout.

The changes to the waste collection services have been brought about by the need for Councils to minimise the amount of waste going directly to landfill. What Council is also trying to communicate and foster is the need for all residents to consider the broader waste management issues from product purchase (packaging) right through to disposal. Audits have indicated that a significant amount of ‘waste’ that is currently placed in the waste bin is organic material. The FOGO collection targets this, while also providing additional service for the collection of garden waste. Apart from FOGO, there is a significant amount of material that is discarded in the waste bin that ends up in landfill and does not need to be there.

The introduction of the fortnightly FOGO collection sees the waste collection move to fortnightly on the opposite week. This effectively means that there is still a weekly collection, just that one week it is FOGO material and the other week it will be what you currently put in the waste bin, less the FOGO material, recyclables and re-usable items. The recyclables collection continues to be undertaken fortnightly. As such the bin size for general waste will remain the same, and any request for a larger bin will need to be in writing stating the special circumstances as to why your situation would need more capacity.

Council acknowledges that the level of use of the FOGO bin will vary from household to household, as does the amount and variety of waste and recyclables produced by each household. However it should also be recognised that whatever generic waste management collection service the Council offers it will never suit every household situation. There will be cases, as there is now, where residents may have to manage excess waste outside the provided collection service or manage material that is unsuitable for disposal through the collection service by other means.

The materials collected in the FOGO bins will be transported to Launceston for composting as this is the closest processing facility. We are not selling our FOGO waste materials, the same as we don’t sell general waste or recyclables now. These are materials disposed of by residents and Council removes them on the residents’ behalf. If more north-west councils adopt FOGO collection, it may become more viable to have a local facility, lessening the amount of cartage and for the end materials (compost) to be locally available.

The supply and delivery of FOGO bins was conducted under a set price contract. The delivery method and engagement of staff is the Contractor’s responsibility. The bin manufacturer is from South Australia, experienced in bin rollouts, and they led a team to deliver the bins. Rental vehicles were sourced locally and additional jobs advertised through various sources for the three week rollout. The ongoing collection contract is with Veolia Environmental who have local presence and already conduct the recyclables collection across the coast and our general waste collection. They will operate additional vehicles providing local employment.

The two collection zones have always existed, even prior to the introduction of the FOGO service. The collection day will be the same day of the week as you put your bins out now. The colour coding on the calendars is simply a reminder of which week you put the bins out. If you didn’t receive a calendar, they are available on our website or at the Council offices.

All concerns will be taken into consideration when the review is conducted in March 2020.