What goes around comes around - when you use your food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin correctly, you're also helping keep Boroondara beautiful.
We're now using the nutrient-rich compost made by our FOGO processor, Bio Gro, across some of Boroondara's garden beds, parks and open spaces.
How we trialled FOGO compost
Earlier this year, we trialled using FOGO compost on some of our garden beds and nature strips to test how well it worked. Compared with the mushroom compost used previously, the FOGO compost took longer to break down. This is a positive, as it minimises weeds and improves the soil profile.
We also trialled using FOGO compost to fix holes and trip hazards on lawns instead of sandy loam topsoil. So far the compost is performing as well as the soil.
Based on the success of these trials, we now regularly use FOGO compost in places including Alexandra Gardens, Petrie Square, Fordham Gardens and Canterbury Gardens.
You can play your part
Using your FOGO bin keeps food and garden waste out of landfill where it rots and produces harmful greenhouse gases.
You can help keep FOGO a success by placing only food scraps and garden waste in your lime-green lidded bin.
Find out what goes in your FOGO bin and your other kerbside bins.
From FOGO bin to compost
Ever wondered what happens after we collect your FOGO waste each week?
- Our collection trucks take it to the Boroondara Recycling and Waste Centre, where it's tipped into large hoppers and compacted.
- From here, trucks transport it to the Bio Gro composting facility in Dandenong South. It gets pre-sorted, shredded and decontaminated to ensure no nasties end up in the compost.
- It then makes its way to a different site to mature via a process called open windrow composting, before being blended with other materials and turned into high-quality mulch and compost.
- Some of this is used on large-scale crop farms, to grow grapes, and in smaller horticultural projects. Now it also makes its way back to Boroondara to help our gardens thrive. This process is a fantastic example of the circular economy in action.
