Ballarat City Council has voted to retain a weekly household waste collection and introduce a fortnightly Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) service to begin from November this year.
At its monthly meeting, Council considered a report that presented alternative collection frequency options for kerbside FOGO and household waste services, comparing the cost to ratepayers for each option, the percentage of waste diverted from landfill and results from the Kerbside Transition consultation undertaken in November 2022 and March 2023.
The report was delivered in response to a notice of motion made at the Council Meeting on 27 November 2024.
The changes to kerbside waste and recycling services follow the introduction of new State Government policy, which requires Councils to transition to separate glass and FOGO collection services.
The decision aligns with community consultation in 2023 that showed 45 per cent of respondents supported the introduction of a fortnightly FOGO service with a weekly household waste collection.
City of Ballarat Deputy Mayor, Cr Ben Taylor said the fortnightly introduction of a FOGO collection will reduce the volume of food waste sent to landfill.
"The introduction of a fortnightly food organics and garden organics - or FOGO - service later this year will help us recycle our food and garden waste into new products, like compost, while reducing the amount of food waste sent to landfill," he said.
"Audits show food waste makes up 41 per cent of what goes in our household waste bins - which adds up to an estimated 9,000 tonnes of food that is thrown out every year."
From November, food waste can be added to households' FOGO (current green waste) bin with the lime green lid.
Food organics includes fruit and vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat and bones, citrus, leftovers, seafood, shellfish shells and eggshells.
The City of Ballarat is also preparing to roll out a monthly glass collection with a purple lid bin in November 2025.
The City of Ballarat has a range of other recycling and waste initiatives designed to help residents reduce waste being sent to landfill, including the Ballarat Soft Plastics Collection Pilot Program, the Ballarat Waste App and the reusable nappy, period and sanitary products rebate.
The City of Ballarat is also exploring textile recycling at the Ballarat Transfer Station and a Hard Waste review is now underway.
A City of Ballarat stall at the Ballarat Begonia Festival will provide more information about waste, recycling and the transition to a FOGO collection.
