Freo apartments go FOGO

The FOGO three-bin waste management system is now available to all residential property types in Fremantle.

The City of Fremantle was one of the first local governments in Western Australia to go FOGO (Food Organics, Garden Organics) when the system was introduced to more than 11,000 households in 2019.

Due to the added complexity of providing FOGO to apartments and units these property types were excluded from the initial roll out, but now all residential property types in the City of Fremantle are being given the chance to go FOGO.

Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said the introduction of FOGO to apartments and units was another important step towards boosting recovery rates and reducing landfill.

“The City of Fremantle was an early adopter of FOGO so more than 80 per cent of households in Fremantle are already using the system,” Mayor Fitzhardinge said.

“Since it was introduced in September 2019 more than 11,000 tonnes of organic waste has been collected in Fremantle’s FOGO bins and diverted from landfill.

“The process for providing FOGO bins to apartments and units is a little more involved because every complex is slightly different and we have to tailor the service to best suit individual needs.

“I encourage everyone who lives in an apartment or unit to get in touch with the City to find out how they can go FOGO.”

The first step in providing FOGO to apartments and units is for a resident of the building to become a FOGO ‘champion’ and contact the City to register their interest. The champion will be provided with information to share with other residents and gather support.

The member of the City’s waste services team will then conduct a site visit and meet with the property manager to assess if the complex is suitable for FOGO and discuss the best way to provide the service. In some circumstances the complex may not be able to accommodate FOGO collections.

Education sessions are available for residents who would like some one-on-one information.

The state government’s Waste Strategy has a target for all households in the Perth and Peel region to go FOGO by 2025.

The three-bin FOGO system includes a yellow-lidded bin for recycling, a red-lidded bin for general waste and the new green-lidded FOGO bin for organic waste like kitchen scraps and garden waste.

Instead of organic waste going to landfill and producing harmful methane emissions, the material collected in the FOGO bin is converted into high quality compost for use on farms, parks and gardens.

FOGO compost is now available for sale at the Fremantle Recycling Centre.

For more information on FOGO go to fremantle.wa.gov.au/fogo-apartments.

To register your interest in receiving a FOGO service please contact the City on 1300 MY FREO (1300 693 736) and ask to speak to Waste Services.