Food Organics Garden Organics - FOGO

Food organics and garden organics (FOGO) waste, such as food scraps and garden clippings, is nearly half of all waste in our domestic general waste bins.

FOGO is a resource recovery project with the potential to bring our region’s recycling rate from 45 percent to over 60 percent by adding a new lime green lidded bin for organic material made up of food and garden waste.

This organic material can be recovered to produce valuable resources instead of being disposed to landfill where it takes up space and produces harmful greenhouse gases. These resources can be used to make compost for farmers and residents and potentially biogas or electricity. 

Council currently produces electricity from landfill gases at its three landfill sites to power up to 7,000 homes in our region. Find out more about how we are turning landfill gas into energy.

We want to take this initiative a step further by committing to introducing a FOGO service to all our residents. This will complement our existing waste collection services and align with Queensland’s Organics Strategy 2022-2032 and Council’s commitment to the SEQ Waste Management Plan.

Steps to get there

This is a major process that will not happen overnight. It requires several steps from Council with the funding support of the State and Federal Governments.

Develop a business case

A detailed business case to process all food and garden waste was completed in 2023. The business case identified and evaluated options to inform next steps and investment decisions.

Engagement with CoMSEQ and State Government

Council continues to work with the SEQ Council of Mayors and the Queensland Government on the various components of this project. Our advocacy and engagement will help inform our next steps. Securing funding for a food and garden waste processing facility is one on the main goals.

State and federal governments have announced funding through various programs. The Queensland Government has announced a $2.1 billion waste package, and all levels of government have signed off on the SEQ City Deal which includes a number of waste initiatives.

Tender process

Once funding is secured, we can proceed with a tender process to construct an industrial facility to process all food and garden waste within our local government area. The site would be responsible for processing an estimated 60,000 to 120,000 tonnes of organic waste annually.

New organics collection service (lime green lidded bins)

Stage 1 will be implementing a garden organics (GO) collection service using a new lime green lidded bin. The bins should be available from December 2024.

Stage 2 will then transition the GO service to a FOGO service. This will occur when access to food and garden organics processing capacity can be secured. This aligns with Queensland Government's waste strategy.

A state-wide community engagement and education program will help establish the new kerbside collection service and this will be supplemented locally.

We will incorporate learnings from the trials being conducted in other local government areas (LGAs) across Queensland and 21 per cent of LGAs already providing a FOGO service in other Australian states.

We already receive and process approximately 50,000 tonnes of garden waste at our waste management facilities. We encourage you to make use of this service. Find out more about how you can manage and dispose of green waste.

We will keep you informed

This is a high priority project and we will provide updates as it progresses. The implementation of this project will include an extensive communication and education campaign to fully inform residents on:

Stage 1: GO bin service and how to use it for garden organics
Stage 2: FOGO bin service and how to use it for food and garden organics

The FOGO communication and education campaign will:

  • provide education to residents about why we need a kerbside organics service and our own FOGO processing facility
  • gradually reach all Moreton Bay's residents about FOGO prior to the opening of the FOGO processing facility.

How do I get involved and keep current?

Council will proactively provide engagement and education to residents and businesses. To get involved or keep current on this project you are invited to consult this webpage as it will be updated as the project progresses. You can also keep informed via social media posts at Council’s Facebook hashtag #WasteTipsTuesday where we frequently provide updated information on various waste management programs.

FAQs

View the frequently asked questions for more information about the project and how the new bins will work.