Food organics garden organics (FOGO) is a top priority for Ipswich, home of the proposed Wanless Recycling Park. Ipswich is the first and only council in Queensland to provide a green waste kerbside service that accepts food scraps. By rebranding the green waste bin as a FOGO bin, the Council has managed to capture and divert the 15,500 tonnes of compostable organics residents have been placing in the general waste bin for landfill.
Reducing general waste in Queensland levy zone
This is key not just from an environmental perspective. The Queensland levy zone covers 39 out of 77 local government areas in Queensland, including Ipswich, which covers around 90% of Queensland’s population and is where the majority of waste is generated and disposed. The State government’s 2021-22 budget did not include future advance payments to stop the levy costs being passed on to ratepayers, so there is the potential that council would have to increase the general waste charge on next year’s rates bill to $88.
Ipswich City Council has set out a 10-year road map detailing how it will deliver on the city’s vision for waste management and resource recovery, with a focus on green waste. This is a welcome news, as Wanless Recycling Park’s focus on resource and recovery is perfectly aligned.
What goes in the FOGO bin?
Featuring a lime green lid, the FOGO bin is collected fortnightly, on alternate weeks to recycling bins. As with at-home composting, it is important that only correct materials are placed in the FOGO bin. The composting process does not have a rubbish removal process, which means any material that is collected with the green waste ends up in the composted product. If the composted product contains shredded plastic or other rubbish, it cannot be used for landscaping and will end up in landfill, negating all efforts to compost this easily diverted waste.
To reduce your businesses carbon footprint and wastes sent to landfill, combine an organics recycling service with other Wanless recycling solutions. Wanless will assist your business to become greener and more financially lean. Contact us today to find out how.