Properties across Wellington Shire will soon receive a new green–lidded food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin, as council prepares to roll out a major upgrade to its waste and recycling services.

It comes as Wellington Shire Council is set to change the schedule for waste and recycling collection to accommodate the FOGO bins.

With general waste to be collected fortnightly instead of weekly, residents will able to request an additional bin, for an additional fee.

The new 240–litre FOGO bins will be delivered to properties with an existing kerbside service between late April and mid–June, with the new weekly collection service beginning the week beginning July 6.

Each household will receive:

One 240L green–lidded FOGO bin;

A 7L kitchen caddy for collecting food scraps;

A year’s supply of compostable caddy liners, and;

Information on how to use the service, including a bin collection calendar.

The FOGO bin accepts food scraps and garden cuttings, including items that typically cannot be composted at home, such as meat, bones, seafood, citrus and dairy products. Collected material will be transported to a specialist facility and transformed into high–quality soil conditioner.

From July 6, red-lidded landfill bins will move to a fortnightly collection schedule, alternating weeks with recycling.

Residents’ bin days will remain the same.

Council’s Fire Ready Green Waste Disposal program will still be provided at transfer stations in 2026.

Wellington Shire mayor Cindy Madeley said the introduction of FOGO was an important step toward diverting organic material from landfill, recovering a valuable resource, reducing landfill costs over time and meeting state government legislation. Cr Madeley added the FOGO bin provided 240L extra capacity, so there was no reduction in service.

“In Wellington Shire, more than half of the average household landfill bin is made up of food and garden waste, and a further 15 per cent is items that belong in the recycling bin,” Cr Madeley said.

“That’s why it’s so important each household sorts their waste efficiently to get the best use out of their bins.

“By separating these materials, we can significantly reduce landfill, cut greenhouse gas emissions and turn everyday food scraps into valuable compost that can be used on farms, parks and gardens.

“Sending waste to landfill is expensive and those costs are increased by the EPA each year. Over time, it will be more expensive to continue weekly collection of landfill bins. By removing food waste from the landfill bin, we can also extend the life of our existing landfill cells and reduce methane emissions.”

The introduction of FOGO is part of the state government’s move to standardise household recycling across the state under the Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021. It will be a standard, non–optional kerbside service within council’s waste collection areas.

From July 1, all properties with kerbside bin services must have a standard service, which consists of a FOGO bin, landfill bin, recycling bin, kitchen caddy and an annual hard waste collection.

Council acknowledged the introduction of FOGO and changes to bin habits may be a significant adjustment for some households and businesses within Wellington Shire.

Further to the standard kerbside service, council will be introducing the option for property owners to request additional bins, subject to extra cost, to address capacity requirements.

To request optional additional bins, visit www.wellington.vic.gov.au/fogo to submit an order request. Orders placed before Friday, May 1, will be delivered in late June.

For more information about what goes in the FOGO bin, what stays out, and how the new service will work, visit www.wellington.vic.gov.au/fogoor phone 1300 366 244.