Huge Win for Council and Residents – New Kerbside Collection Contract to include Food Organics Garden Organics Service
At its July Ordinary Meeting, Council awarded the kerbside waste and recycling kerbside collection contract to JR Richards & Sons to take effect 1 July 2024 for a period of ten years.
A key component of this resolution is to implement a Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) service which will come into effect 1 July 2024 and provide Leeton residents on the bin collection route with an additional 240L green-lidded bin added to their existing 240L red and 240L yellow wheelie bins.
Residents will be pleased to hear that Council is going to be able to implement the third bin without the need for any fee increase to kerbside collection charges (beyond annual CPI). This is due to the contract cost of the new three-bin service coming out at a very competitive rate as a result of the joint procurement tender with several other councils which has helped drive greater efficiencies.
Mayor Cr Tony Reneker is delighted with the outcome of the extensive contract negotiations.
"It's a huge win not just for our residents but also the wider region. FOGO is a massive leap forward into a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future. Council is extremely pleased that no fee increase will be passed on to ratepayers as a result of introducing the additional third bin (FOGO)," he said.
With FOGO being mandated by the State Governments for all Councils by 2029/30, Mayor Reneker added, "It was a unanimous decision by all Councillors as the implementation of FOGO in 2024/25 would ensure maximum grant funding ($228K) was secured through the NSW Government "GO FOGO" grant program to support the roll-out of this new service."
Green bins will be for food and garden waste. These valuable resources will be turned into nutrient-rich compost, which will subsequently be used to fertilise local community gardens, ovals and agricultural lands. To complement this process, residents will receive free kitchen caddies and compostable bin liners to manage kitchen scraps.
Speaking as the Portfolio Lead for Environment and Climate Change, Cr George Weston said, "With less waste going to landfill, we are not only extending the life of our facility, but also meeting some of the other important mandates set by the NSW Government, such as waste diversion targets and CO2 net zero reduction targets."
"There's a lot to learn about FOGO but by implementing the service now, we have secured the necessary resources to develop an extensive community education program which will help make the adjustments as easy and smooth as possible for the community," he added.
In addition, Leeton is part of the "Halve Waste" initiative, having joined five other councils – Berrigan, Edward River, Greater Hume, Federation and Murrumbidgee – in introducing the FOGO bin. All councils will be working closely together to deliver a consistent waste and recycling message across the Murray and Riverina regions.
Council is encouraging residents to stay up to date with Council's website and social media pages to learn more about the new service and the upcoming changes and improvements.
