Following the receipt of its first official Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) bin audit report in late January, Mayor Cr George Weston woud like to commend Leeton Shire residents for a job well done with contamination only coming in at 0.3% (by weight).
"It's a fantastic result for Leeton Shire and a reflection of the community working together for a common goal. Not only are we doing our part for the environment but we are also extending the life of our landfill cells by turning the FOGO waste into valuable compost for re-use in our parks and gardens. Our sincere thanks goes out to the community for embracing the service with such enthusiasm and dedication," said Mayor Weston.
On 1 July 2024, Council rolled out the green lidded FOGO bin to eligible households in Leeton Shire; marking an extension of its existing kerbside service including the collection of the red lidded general waste bin and yellow lidded recycling bin.
Since then, 752.72 tonnes of organics waste were diverted from landfill which equates to a reduction of approx. 1,505 tonnes of CO2 emissions as a direct result of individuals and households using the FOGO service.
Pleasingly, the contamination rate of the FOGO bin audit came in at only 0.3% (by weight); a figure that has dropped even further from preliminary audit results in July 2024 (1.5%). The audit results also showed that Leeton Shire residents are making the most of their green bins during spring and summer with 80.9% of the bin space used for garden waste and 18.8% for food organics.
While green bin contamination is very low and a testament to the community's efforts, Council would like to remind residents of some of the contaminants found during the audit, such as plastic, cardboard and glass. These items belong either in the red lidded or yellow lidded kerbside bin.
