Parramatta has officially hit go on FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics), with stage one of the new waste collection service starting today (Monday, November 11).
Many residents will have already noticed a change in their bin collection service this week, thanks to the addition of a new green-lid FOGO bin.
Going forward, 65,000 Parramatta households living in houses, townhouses and apartment buildings with 30 units or less will now have to place the FOGO bin alongside the red-lid garbage bin each week for collection.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter said the new service is designed to be an environmentally friendly way to manage food and garden waste.
“This new service will allow residents to recycle their food scraps in a FOGO-friendly bin that is collected weekly,” Zaiter said.
City of Parramatta said the service will divert 85 per cent of the city’s landfill by 2038 and “significantly reduce” greenhouse gas emissions, turning waste into compost that can go back into gardens and parks.
The changes mean residents will have a 240-litre FOGO bin, a 240-litre yellow lid recycling bin to be collected fortnightly and an 80-litre red lid garbage bin – a reduction from the previous 140-litres – to be collected weekly.
Apartment buildings with seven units or more will be provided with shared 240-litre bins.
Old, green-bodied bins with either a red, green or yellow lid will no longer be used and will be collected during the next scheduled garbage collection runs. The retrieval service may take up to four weeks to ensure all old bins across the city are collected.
Eligible households will receive a FOGO starter pack including a seven-litre kitchen caddy and compostable liners to help with adjusting to the new service.
Council will also deliver additional compostable liners twice a calendar year after the rollout, with more free liners to be available for collection at the local libraries including PHIVE.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Who does FOGO impact?
FOGO has been rolled out to houses, duplexes, townhouses and apartment blocks with less than 30 units in this first stage. For apartment buildings with more than 30 units, FOGO services will commence later in 2025.
New bins have already been rolled out to eligible households. If you have not received your new bins, contact City of Parramatta’s FOGO team.
What food goes in the FOGO bin?
Anything you can eat or grow can go into FOGO such as raw or cooked leftover food, fruit and vegetable scraps, meat, bones and seafood, eggs and dairy products, grass, small branches, leaves and prunings.
What happens to the old bins?
City of Parramatta is telling residents to leave their old bins out on their usual collection day and to keep them at the kerbside for up to 48 hours, so they can be collected.
If they are not collected within that time, bring the bins back in and put them out again next week on your usual collection day.
How much will this new service cost?
“Households will see a $42.69 reduction in their annual rates with the new 80-litre red-lid garbage bin,” City of Parramatta said.
“Families that require larger bins can opt-in for a 140-litre or 240-litre bin.”
To find out more information, visit http://www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/fogo.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.